Chennai: Over 1,000 persons including a large number of youth besides film stars Rohini and Swarnamalya had descended on the city’s familiar landmark, Valluvar Kottam, with much expectations of directly interacting with the legislators.

Their expectations turned to disappointment as none of the MLAs turned up at the venue. The “Coffee with MLAs” programme organised by the anti corruption group Arappor Iyakkam on Sunday for an interaction with the AIADMK MLAs who were lodged at Koovathur last month, did not go on expected lines. An open invitation was posted on social media and this drew over 1,000 persons including Rohini and Swarnamalya, but many became disheartened when they could not converse with the MLAs.


According to Chandramohan, Arappor Iyakkam’s convenor, “we invited the MLAs of Tamil Nadu. There are 234 MLAs and we are trying to create a platform for the people of the city to interact and ask them questions regarding many important issues of the State.”

“This was a good chance for them to explain to the people what really transpired at Koovathur. They could have cleared several doubts on the issue,” a visitor to the event remarked. After waiting for nearly four hours, the crowd asked the volunteers to phone the MLAs. Accordingly, the volunteers tried to call a couple of ministers but in vain.

Later on, as no MLA turned up, the organisers of “Coffee with MLAs” brought the “doppelgangers” impersonating political party leaders and answering questions from the audience.