Amid talks of widening rift with EPS, Sengottaiyan downplays CM meeting participation

COIMBATORE: AIADMK senior leader KA Sengottaiyan has stirred up speculations of a widening rift with party general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami with his participation in the State-level DISHA Committee meeting convened recently by Chief Minister MK Stalin in Chennai. But the senior leader has downplayed his decision to take part in the meeting chaired by the CM.

“As a member of the committee, I have participated in all meetings conducted so far. I am just fulfilling the responsibility bestowed on me in the right way. But some are unnecessarily casting aspersions over my participation,” he said to the media in Erode on Monday.

The committee, formed to monitor the implementation of centrally sponsored schemes and address implementation issues, also has representatives from CPI, CPM, VCK, and Congress.

“As copra prices hovered low, I requested the government to procure it through a regulated market, which was accepted, and now the farmers get a better price,” he said.

Listing out some other demands raised by him in the meeting, Sengottaiyan said, “I have petitioned for gunning down wild boars causing damage to crops in farms adjacent to forest areas in Erode and to lay a by-pass road in Gobichettipalayam.”

Earlier, KA Sengottaiyan, who flew down to Coimbatore from Chennai, refused to reply when journalists asked whether he met AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami in Chennai.

Sengottaiyan had expressed displeasure over leaving out the photos of former chief ministers MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa on the banners of a function in Coimbatore to felicitate AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami for implementing Athikadavu-Avinashi Irrigation Project, leading to talks of a rift between the senior leader and party chief.