Eatery for poor attacked in Chennai, DMK orders action against miscreants

Two days after the DMK won the Tamil Nadu state assembly elections, a group of party workers stormed an Amma Unavagam (a food canteen) in Chennai on Tuesday. The hooligans ransacked the facility, dumped vegetables and removed photographs of former AIADMK chief minister Jayalalithaa, who had launched the canteens in 2013.

The canteens were set up to provide affordable food to the poor under Amma Unavagam, a flagship scheme of the erstwhile Jayalalithaa government. During the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the poor get food for free at the numerous outlets.

The DMK responded promptly, with leaders condemning their workers for the act. Ma Subramanian, a newly-elected MLA, and a former Chennai mayor, tweeted that M.K. Stalin, the new chief minister, and party president had ordered action against two party workers.

In the video of the incident which went viral on social media, the men are seen entering the outlet, damaging the sign boards and pulling down Jayalalithaa's portrait. They then pulled out the vegetables and grocery items and threw them on the floor, even as the women employees looked on in fear. The hooligans also threatened the staff before leaving the place.

D. Jayakumar, the outgoing AIADMK minister and a former speaker, was critical of the act. He pointed out that these outlets served the poor, especially at the time of natural calamities.

• India