It¡¯s a sad state of affairs when the VIP culture refuses to die down even as the country battles a pandemic. In Chennai, the policemen on duty stopped anambulance, along with other commuters to allow a VIP convoy to pass uninterrupted, clearly showing that priorities?are completely misplaced.?
Reportsstate that barricades had been set up by the Chennai Police to stop thecommuters from passing.
Inthe video commuters could be seen standing at a distance from one another, withtheir faces covered in masks, as a precautionary measure against the spreadof the virus.
TheChennai police denied claims about the Ambulance carrying any patient and saidthat it was empty at the time.
However, some claimed otherwise - a Twitter user wrote, ¡®I tookthis visual my self sir. I saw patients inside both the ambulance. Afterannouncement came in police walkie talkie that CM convoy left, ambulance, pressvehicles and other essential vehicles were allowed to pass through¡¯.
Soonafter the video went viral, the senior opposition members, including DMK leaderKanimozhi condemned the incident.
Police clarified that the VIP convoy did not belong to the CM andthe vehicles had been stopped for check because of lockdown violations.
'CongratulationsCM! A few days ago, you brought entire cities out on to the road because ofyour lockdown within a lockdown. Now, you bring the city traffic and ambulancesto a standstill. Your humility is amazing', Kanimozi said in a tweet.
TheDMK leader's comment was a jibe at Palaniswami's decision to tighten thecoronavirus lockdown in five cities including Chennai, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Salemand Madurai.