Chennai, Sept 24:
Electricity and Law Minister C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar has alleged that the DMK and AIADMK had initially planned to field a common candidate in the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly bypolls but later decided to contest separately to split the votes.
Addressing reporters, Nirmal Kumar said the TVK faced no setback because of the by-elections and defended the decision of former AIADMK MLAs K. Maragatham Kumaravel and P. Sathyabama to resign their Assembly seats and join the TVK. The two former AIADMK MLAs are now contesting the Madurantakam and Dharapuram bypolls as TVK candidates.
Nirmal Kumar said the resignations were a consequence of the political situation within the AIADMK. He questioned whether party workers would accept a decision by AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami to support the DMK for what he described as his personal political interests.
The Minister further alleged that Palaniswami was weakening the AIADMK while supporting the DMK. He claimed that the MLAs would not have resigned had the AIADMK leadership not taken a decision to move towards an understanding with the DMK.
The upcoming bypolls to the reserved constituencies of Madurantakam and Dharapuram were necessitated after Maragatham Kumaravel and Sathyabama resigned as MLAs and subsequently joined the TVK. The Election Commission has scheduled polling for October 6.
Nirmal Kumar also responded to the controversy surrounding the recent consecration ceremony at the Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple. Rejecting allegations of interference, he said he had no role in the temple proceedings and denied that the family of former DMK Minister P.T.R. Palanivel Thiaga Rajan had been deliberately sidelined.
He said P.T.R.’s mother Rukmani, who is associated with the temple administration, had been properly taken care of during the arrangements. The Minister also criticised Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, alleging that he had been speaking excessively about the temple despite its long history.
Nirmal Kumar further alleged that a marriage hall associated with the P.T.R. Trust had remained closed for three years and claimed that he had helped facilitate its reopening. He alleged that this had led to a personal disagreement between him and Palanivel Thiaga Rajan.
The Minister also referred to an audio recording attributed to Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, in which a claim about corruption involving a particular family during the DMK regime had been reported. Nirmal Kumar questioned why Palanivel Thiaga Rajan had been sidelined during his tenure as Finance Minister if he had been aware of such alleged corruption.
Nirmal Kumar also challenged Palanivel Thiaga Rajan to undergo an audio authenticity test, referring to the disputed recording. The allegations and claims made by the Minister were part of his criticism of the former Finance Minister and were not independently established in his remarks.