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Tamil Nadu minister K Ponmudi on Tuesday visited a Cyclone Fengal-hit area in the state where he was welcomed with handfuls of mud by villagers who were reportedly angry over the inadequate drainage systems that have left their homes waterlogged.
As per the reports, the incident took place in the Iruevelpattu area on the Tiruchirapalli-Chennai road, where the agitated villagers hurled mud at the Tamil Nadu Forest Minister.
The villagers, who had been protesting since morning, demanded immediate action to facilitate water drainage and sought relief measures. When Ponmudi arrived to address the concerns, some protesters reportedly threw mud at his car and asked him to step out of the vehicle and interact with them directly.
Locals claimed that officials had not visited their isolated village for two days after Cyclone Fengal hit the district.
Ponmudi was accompanied by his son and several police officials when the incident occurred.
Cops quickly intervened to control the situation, leading the minister to complete his inspection. Ponmudi later left for another cyclone-affected area after the situation was pacified.
Hitting out at the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government, BJP leader K Annamalai posted the video of the incident on X, saying it ws the outcome of public frustration reaching a “boiling point”.
“This is the current state of affairs in Tamil Nadu. The CM and the Deputy Chief Minister were busy taking photos in the streets of Chennai while the city received very little rain and did not bother to keep track of the happenings beyond Chennai,” Annamalai said.
“Today, the public’s frustration reached a boiling point as a Corrupt DMK Minister, Thiru Ponmudi, visited a flood-affected area and was met with a barrage of mud. This is a gentle reminder for DMK about what is on the offing,” he added.
Cyclone Fengal fury resulted in the loss of 12 human lives, 2,416 huts, 721 houses and 963 cattle. The “catastrophic event” also caused “widespread damage” to agriculture and horticulture crop and irrigation systems.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin to enquire about the flood situation in parts of the state and assured him of all possible support from the Centre.
