Chennai: Days after Edappadi K Palaniswami broke his silence on the severing of ties with the BJP and walking out of the National Democratic Alliance, three AIADMK MLAs met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Coimbatore on Tuesday.
They shared the dais with the Union Minister during a credit outreach programme.
AIADMK MLAs – V Jayaraman (Pollachi), Amul Kandasamy (Valparai), and AK Selvaraj (Mettupalayam) – had later met the media and said that the meeting was with regard to demands for their respective constituencies. Jayaraman, a former minister in the AIADMK constituency, said, “We had met the Union Minister as a follow-up to a letter I had sent with regard to the coconut-growing farmers requesting a reasonable rate for copra coconut and highlighting the problems faced by the coir industry.”
He added that in August, he sent a letter to the Finance Minister highlighting the difficulties of coconut farmers and the coir industry. “I came here to put forward the demands of the coconut farmers who form a majority in my constituency. AK Selvaraj is here to request a bank in his constituency, and Amul Kandasamy is here to request student loans for children in his constituency,” said Jayaraman.
When asked about the alliance, the MLAs dismissed it, stating, “There was no talk about the alliance. The stand of our party on alliance will be decided by our general secretary, Edappadi K Palaniswami. There is no political connection to today’s meeting,” Jayaraman reiterated.
The meeting of the three AIADMK MLAs was also registered on Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s official X page (formerly known as Twitter). Sharing photos of the meeting, Sitharaman’s post read, “AIADMK MLAs Th. T. K. Amulkandasami, Th. Varadharaj Jayaraman and Th. A.K Selvaraj call on Tmt. @nsitharaman before the commencement of the Credit Outreach Programme in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Also present on the occasion are Tmt. @VanathiBJP, National President – @BJPMahilaMorcha, and Th. R A Sakthivel, Chairman – Tamil Nadu Coconut Farmer Producer Companies’ Consortium.”
AIADMK MLAs Th. T. K. Amulkandasami, Th. Varadharaj Jayaraman and Th. A.K Selvaraj call on Tmt. @nsitharaman before the commencement of the Credit Outreach Programme in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
Also present on the occasion are Tmt. @VanathiBJP, National President -… pic.twitter.com/xEyqkoSKQm
In recent discussions, Nirmala Sitharaman has been noted for her connections to significant political figures, which adds depth to her role in the current political landscape.
— Nirmala Sitharaman Office (@nsitharamanoffc) October 3, 2023
Eight days after splintering alliance with the BJP, EPS, on Monday, said at a party event in Salem, “Headquarters office bearers, district secretaries, MPs, and MLAs reflected the views of the 2 crore AIADMK cadres at the party meeting last week. A unanimous decision was taken to break ties with the BJP and walk out of the NDA.”
He added that even after this decision of the AIADMK, several questions were raised about his silence. “This was not my individual decision, but that of the party. I want to end all the speculation by asserting that the decision to quit the alliance was unanimous. We are a strong party,” said EPS.
Meanwhile, AIADMK on Tuesday continued to stick by its stand and called the meeting of the AIADMK MLAs with Sitharaman a courtesy meeting to push the demands of the respective constituencies.
“It’s a courtesy visit to request the development work of different constituencies in Coimbatore. There is nothing political about the meeting,” AIADMK spokesperson Kovai Sathyan told ThePrint.
With regard to sharing the stage with the Union Finance Minister and state BJP MLA Vanathi Srinivasan, a former AIADMK MP said that the event was a government function and there is nothing more to see in it.
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