Factional feud in the DMK in the district came to the fore on Friday with supporters of party bigwigs - former ministers K N Nehru and N Selvaraj - exchanging blows, leaving one of the former’s supporters badly injured.
It all started when K N Nehru, who is the district secretary of the party, was proceeding to Somarasampettai to distribute applications for various party posts at the local level, for which an election is scheduled to be held.
Somarasampettai is where members of the Muthuraja community, to which Selvaraj belongs, dwell in large numbers.
As Nehru was on his way, Rajathi Raja (30), a party functionary, on seeing the former minister, reportedly stopped his bike in front of his car.
Irked by this, Nehru’s supporters, led by T Muthu Selvam, a corporation council member and ward secretary, are said to have slapped him. Seeing this, supporters of Manikandam Union DMK secretary Palaniandi, along with the public, gathered on the spot and began to assault Muthu Selvam and his aides.
Palaniandi, the strongman in the locality, is a die-hard supporter of Selvaraj. Selvaraj’s supporters also besieged the vehicle of Nehru and raised slogans against him.
However, Nehru managed to pacify them and left the place. No police complaint was lodged in this regard.
Of late, sources said, Nehru was cold-shouldering Selvaraj in party activities, while the latter’s supporters are waiting for an opportunity to teach a lesson to the former and his supporters.
At a public meeting in support of the Sethu project organised by the district unit of the DMK at Srirangam recently, Selvaraj is said to have been ignored. After his name was found ‘missing’ in the wall posters, irate supporters of Selvaraj lodged a complaint with the Srirangam police stating that there would be law and order problem if the meeting was conducted.
All through the demonstration, Selvaraj is said to have stood among the functionary as he was not invited to the stage.
Similarly, supporters of Nehru lodged a complaint with the police claiming that there would be a communal clash if Selvaraj attended the party meeting at Uppliyapuram.
Selvaraj, meanwhile, is said to be organising public meetings without the consent of the district unit.