COIMBATORE: Senior TVK Minister KA Sengottaiyan on Friday declined to comment on Tourism Minister S Rajeshkumar of the Congress reportedly saying that his party would walk out of Chief Minister Vijay's cabinet if Rahul Gandhi is not accepted as the Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
When reporters sought his reaction at Coimbatore airport, Sengottaiyan said, "Please do not put me in trouble by asking me to comment on this."
Asked who would be the Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2029 Lok Sabha polls, he said Chief Minister Vijay is clear on it. "The people of Tamil Nadu have voted for him (CM Vijay) with hope in him.
He has achieved a massive victory within two years of launching the party. He got the symbol for the party in just two months and he is taking all efforts to protect the people of Tamil Nadu and to bring schemes that people desire," he said.
Sengottaiyan said "CM Vijay is issuing new announcements department-wise under Rule 110 at assembly with his thought and vision to bring change in every department and issuing announcements under Rule 110 as per need is a routine practice".
"There is no need for the CM himself to reply to all questions raised by members in the Assembly. It is also a routine practice for other Ministers to reply on his behalf. During the DMK regime, there is history of then Law Minister S Regupathy proposing announcements related to the Fire and Rescue department which was under the control of the Chief Minister," he said.
On the criticism over the Rs 1,200-crore new Secretariat-Assembly building project, Sengottaiyan said, "During the DMK regime also a new Assembly was built and later it was converted into a hospital. Former CM Jayalalithaa tried to set up the Assembly at Queen Mary's College. Every Chief Minister tries to build a better Secretariat. Beyond location and cost, it is something that is needed in the present context."
Commenting on AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami's statement that TVK rule will not last for five years, Sengottaiyan commented, "Because he (EPS) kept speaking like this, AIADMK has slipped to third place."