PUDUKKOTTAI: A day after former AIADMK minister Vaigai Selvan denounced Sengottaiyan for allegedly discussing inner party issues in the open and called it “uncivilised” conduct, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami’s nemesis TTV Dhinakaran has come out in support of Sengottaiyan. “What happened to those who left the AIADMK due to differences? They have just vanished,” said Vaigai Selvan in a veiled threat to Sengottaiyan.
On Sunday, during an interaction with reporters, Dhinakaran sprung to Sengottaiyan’s defence, stressing that he does not need lessons on political conduct from AIADMK members.
“Sengottaiyan does not require advice on civility or incivility. His choices reflect the true voice of AIADMK supporters who want to protect the party’s strength, unlike those who are damaging its legacy,” Dhinakaran said.
On Saturday, in Kancheepuram, when reporters asked about the issue between KA Sengottaiyan and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, Vaigai Selvan said if Sengottaiyan had any issues, he should have called on Palaniswami and explained it. “Palaniswami has led the government for four years and is steering the party successfully for the past four years. There may be some issues. But what happened to those who left the party due to these differences? They have just vanished. Instead of resolving the issues with the general secretary, Sengottaiyan discussing the issue in public is uncivilised.”
Sengottaiyan had skipped the meeting of party MLAs ahead of the budget session on Friday morning, raising eyebrows. What added fuel to the fire was the way EPS reacted when reporters asked him about the absence of Sengottaiyan at the meeting. The former CM, who looked agitated, asked the reporters, in turn, to pose the question to Sengottaiyan. “Go and ask him. This is not the place to ask,” he had said, adding that it was not the place to discuss private matters.
Some time ago, Sengottaiyan had skipped a felicitation event for EPS, citing the absence of MGR and Jayalalithaa’s images on banners which led to rumours that all was not well between the two.