AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami.
Credit: PTI Photo
Chennai: Fissures within the AIADMK have come to the fore with senior leader K A Sengottaiyan “boycotting” a felicitation function for Edappadi K Palaniswami by farmers’ organisation held on Sunday. The function was held to felicitate Palaniswami for laying the foundation stone for the Athikadavu-Avinashi project that will be hugely beneficial to farmers in western region of Tamil Nadu.
Though he was invited with his name figuring prominently in the invitation, Sengottaiyan didn’t attend the event on Sunday, leading to speculation as he is one of the veteran leaders of the AIADMK, having been associated since the times of the party founder M G Ramachandran.
Sengottaiyan, who was also one of the frontrunners to succeed O Panneerselvam as Chief Minister after he was forced to resign by V K Sasikala, made his displeasure clear on Monday though he laid the blame on the organizers of the event.
“I didn’t attend the event because portraits of M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa were missing in the hoardings and invitations of the event. How can I attend when the pictures of my leaders aren’t carried? They gave me this political life,” Sengottaiyan added. The invitations and hoardings had Palaniswami’s portrait prominently.
Sengottaiyan also said he had informed the organisers about the missing photos of the leaders, but his concerns were not addressed. Party insiders said discontent has been brewing within the AIADMK for some time and that Sengottaiyan’s statements didn’t come as a surprise.
However, the AIADMK downplayed the statement saying the event was apolitical and representatives of all parties were present.