MP, Ministers’ credit war worries ruling-party

In a recent outburst, Information Technology Minister M Manikandan lashed out at Ramanathapuram MP Anwar Raja during the AIADMK’s founding day meeting in the district. The Minister went to the level of hitting out at the MP with details of his personal life and his marital issues in the public meeting.  The confrontation was kick-started by the MP at an earlier meeting. 

Referring to the Minister speech in it, Anwar Raja, who spoke last, said it was unfair on the part of the Minister to claim credit for all the development works in the constituency. The Minister unable to reply back then and there, however, he took a dig at him in the next chance. In the next meeting, though Anwar Raja’s name was found in the posters along with that of Manikandan, the MP did not turn up. 

The Minister, who referred to the MP’s speech, had accused Anwar Raja of trying to take credit for the works carried out due to his efforts. “Though Anwar Raja was an MP from 2014, all the development works began after 2016, which clearly shows that I was responsible for the achievements. 

Anwar Raja also claims that state Ministers could not write letters to Union Ministers, but the development works were possible due to the cordiality between the Centre and state governments,” Manikandan said. The Minister also challenged the MP, if the latter was ready for a public debate on the achievements. 

Anwar Raja had not reacted so far to the Minister’s outburst, but the open fight had brought out the differences in the party’s district unit. The squabbles between the Ministers and MPs are not confined to Ramanathapuram alone and similar divisions are found in some other districts too. 

In Cuddalore, party MP Arunmozhithevan and Minister MC Sampath are not getting together well and the MP had boycotted all the programmes of the Minister in the last three months.