The AIADMK’s deposed coordinator and former Chief Minister, O. Panneerselvam, on Saturday defended the party’s veteran and former Minister Panruti S. Ramachandran.
Responding to observations of the AIADMK’s interim general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami against Mr. Ramachandran, the former coordinator, who spoke to journalists after paying homage to the Dravidar Kazhagam founder E.V. Ramasamy on the occasion of his birth anniversary, recalled how the party’s founder M.G. Ramachandran, as Chief Minister in the 1980s, had deputed the former Minister to the U.N. to represent issues not only concerning Tamil Nadu but also the entire country.
Besides, Mr. Ramachandran had worked along with stalwarts of the Dravidian movement such as E.V.R., C.N. Annadurai, M.G.R. and Jayalalithaa. “For political reasons, certain persons would be talking about many issues. We have to ignore them and focus on accomplishments and sacrifices [made by leaders of yesteryears],” Mr. Panneerselvam observed.
In a statement, the AIADMK’s former coordinator came down on the DMK regime for increasing the prices of certain dairy by-products which were being sold on the occasion of festival season. “Since assumption of office, the DMK regime, instead of implementing sweet assurances, has been administering bitter medicine,” he said, appealing to the government to withdraw the hike.
Mr. Palaniswami, accompanied by senior leaders including D. Jayakumar, P. Venugopal and C. Ponnaiyan, paid floral tributes to the DK founder near the E.V.R.’s statue near Anna flyover.
Meanwhile, the AMMK general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran expressed disapproval of the speech of former Union Minister and the DMK’s senior functionary, A. Raja which, he termed, was sought to insult Hindus. Also, he expressed his support to a host of issues being raised by farmers who held demonstrations in Thanjavur regarding the continuance of free power supply scheme, the creation of sufficient godowns for procured paddy and the provision of dryers at all the direct procurement centres. Mr. Dhinkaran wanted the Central and State governments to have the demands fulfilled expeditiously.
