Chennai: Greater Chennai Corporation Mayor Priya Rajan has filed a complaint against the circulation of her “edited and morphed” photographs on social media, accusing Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) supporters of orchestrating the online abuse. The mayor also released a video stating that she was being targeted by X users, after her complaint Monday.
Priya Ranjan alleged that edited and morphed images of her were being widely shared by accounts linked to TVK cadre, with the explicit intent of humiliating her and undermining the autonomy of the civic body.
“This is not random trolling. It is organised online sexual abuse by those who are targeting me for my political beliefs and they cannot tolerate an independent local body leader. Every time I raise a governance issue, they target me. These people call themselves virtual warriors but they are actually online abusers,” she told ThePrint.
Priya comes from North Chennai and her father, R. Rajan, has been a dedicated DMK functionary for more than three decades, serving as a ward-level and area co-secretary in the Thiru. Vi. Ka. Nagar region. Her uncle was a DMK MLA too. Priya says she was inspired by watching her father’s and uncle’s political work from a young age and formally joined the DMK at 18.
Senior DMK leader and minister P. K. Sekar Babu has been a key support to the family and was present at her swearing-in ceremony in March 2022, and has continued to extend political support from the party’s organisational side. She entered active electoral politics only in the 2022 Tamil Nadu urban local body elections. Contesting for the first time, she won as the DMK councillor from Ward 74 in Thiru. Vi. Ka. Nagar.
The mayor’s post in the Greater Chennai Corporation had been reserved that year for a Scheduled Caste woman. With the DMK holding a clear majority in the council, the party leadership nominated her, and she was elected unopposed on 4 March 2022, becoming the youngest mayor in the city’s history, its first Dalit woman mayor, and the third woman to hold the office.
Regarding her recent complaint, Priya Ranjan says, “Even after holding the post of a mayor in the city corporation, if someone can be abused online, there are many women who cannot openly express about these concerns.”
The complaint comes immediately after TVK filed a complaint against DMK councillor Sudha Deendayalan for defamatory remarks against Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay during an event where the mayor was also present.
Priya Ranjan was seen laughing during the speech where Sudha Deendayalan repeatedly called the CM a “dog” and referred to him as dead body. Clarifying, the mayor said that she was focused on the upcoming speakers and the programme schedule since she was organising it. “When I heard her speech, I was wondering who she was talking about and then I realised she was talking about the CM. I was a little shocked at her speech and she was immediately corrected by our leader Kanimozhi,” Priya said.
The public criticisms were immediately directed at Priya for encouraging the comments. This is not the first time such confrontations between the DMK mayor and the new TVK regime led by Chief Minister Joseph Vijay have come to light and repeated friction between the Greater Chennai Corporation and the TVK administration has continued since the party assumed power.
Within a month of the new government taking charge, differences surfaced over protocol, coordination and alleged interference in civic affairs. One of the earliest public spats occurred during the inauguration of a new building at the Chennai Urdu Middle School in Pulianthope, falling under the Thiru-Vi-Ka Nagar constituency. TVK MLA M.R. Pallavi alleged that Mayor Priya deliberately sidelined her during the traditional lamp-lighting ceremony, brushing aside her extended hand and handing the candle to a joint commissioner instead.
Pallavi walked out in protest and later told the media that the mayor had also avoided her during the ribbon-cutting, claiming a pattern of neglect towards development in her constituency. However, Priya, in a conversation with ThePrint, rejected the charge, saying she had merely followed established protocol. “I was only following the protocol, there was no motive to sideline anyone. It was the MLA who was unaware of the procedure,” she added.
She has been criticised by TVK supporters for not calling upon Chief Minister Vijay yet. However, Priya stated that it is not a “formal protocol” to visit the CM but it is an individual choice and not necessary for a mayor to meet the Chief Minister. Priya Ranjan clarified that she respected the post of chief minister and follows the responsibility of her role.
The only occasion when Priya shared the stage with a TVK leader was during School Education Minister Rajmohan’s visit to Ripon Building, at a function to reward meritorious Class 10 and 12 students, and she said it was proof that cordial ties exist when protocols are respected.
TVK leaders and MLAs have, in turn, accused the mayor and DMK councillors of non-cooperation. TVK sources has accused Priya of staying away from several review meetings and field inspections chaired by TVK ministers and legislators.
Priya Ranjan had clarified that if there are events related to the corporation, she accompanies government officials if required. “It is not mandatory for me to accompany all ministers during inspections,” she told ThePrint.
TVK Minister Keerthana has also accused DMK supporters of online abuse. Priya said that any leader, including Keerthana, should be respected and criticism of their work and trolling for that is different from the online abuse that she is facing.
DMK councillors have alleged “unwarranted interference” by TVK representatives in civic review meetings, and stalling road and drainage maintenance works. Priya herself has criticised the new regime for continuing to blame the previous DMK government for civic problems but she credits the DMK regime for rainwater management in the city and says that flooding has been prevented in many areas.
The tug of war between the Mayor and TVK officials intensified over the ward development fund recently. Priya says that the TVK government has withheld funds for urban infrastructure development and if the government cooperates, the Chennai corporation civic works can be improved further.
“Every councillor has their ward development fund and every year Rs 60 lakh has been allotted for each councillor. It is used for flood management, infrastructure maintenance, providing food during crisis and other emergency situations, and there are proper protocols in place to gain approval from the commissioner and other arrangements,” Priya said.
However, the government did not release the funds till September, which was after the councillors protested and communicated to the government about the “difficulties” pertaining to infrastructure development and monsoon preparedness due to the lack of funds.
“Only about Rs 30 lakh has been released last month on condition that it is used for monsoon preparedness activities only. It is unfair and there are many other works that the fund can be used for, but the government did not discuss this limitation with us and just gave directions,” she added.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)