An event attended by Union Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu on Sunday to launch a series of projects saw a rare coming together of the ruling AIADMK and DMK party leaders on stage. But the bonhomie didn't last for very long – according to a report in The Hindu, DMK Member of Parliament Tiruchi Siva complained that there was no mention of his name despite allocating Rs. 1 crore from his constituency development fund for an escalator at Tiurchi railway station.
Not to let the complaint go unnoticed, State Minister for Animal Husbandry TKM Chinnayya made veiled references to Siva’s speech and the two were seen exchanging some heated words shortly after. The minor tiff sparked off during the foundation stone laying ceremony for the third line between Tambaram and Chengalpattu.
Siva alleged that there was miscommunication by the railway administration to shift the venue of the inauguration from Tiruchi to Tambaram and claimed he was not informed. He also hit out at the AIADMK stating that there was no acknowledgment of his contribution for installing the escalator.
State Minister TKM Chinnayya did not let these allegations slide – he referred to a popular Tamil adage, which translated to “One has to bear the brunt of past actions”. Visibly disturbed by the comment, Siva had an argument with the Minister, but the heat dissipated in a matter of time.