MADURAI: Minister for Electricity and Law C T R Nirmal Kumar said former DMK minister P T R Palanivel Thiaga Rajan was sidelined due to his inefficiency. He is the only individual in the entire DMK cabinet to be sidelined for ineffective work methods and reassigned a less significant position, he added.
Addressing media persons, Kumar said, “In the DMK regime, former minister PTR was sidelined for inefficiency. We aren’t like PTR and his forefathers who survived through land and wealth; we stood on our own through hard work. We attained positions after our leader (Vijay) was given the mandate by the masses. We don’t know how many days PTR would be using the name of his father and grandfathers.”
On the alleged alliance between the DMK and the AIADMK, he said, “AIADMK members have alleged that the party and the DMK are planning a new coalition to capture power. Nobody is willing to continue with AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami, including senior leaders like S P Velumani.”
Kumar also maintained that the BJP has “1%” vote bank and “we don’t need to give much importance to the party currently”.
Further, he questioned the DMK’s “overreaction” to industrialist Veeramani’s arrest under the Pocso Act. It raises doubts on whether the previous DMK administration tried to shield the accused. They have filed closure reports in big criminal cases in five years. The FIR was filed for extortion, the minister alleged.