Tamil Nadu Minister for Cooperation Sellur K Raju has again stirred the hornet's nest, this time, with a statement acknowledging the hard work, sidelined AIADMK General Secretary VK Sasikala has put in forming the government.
While addressing media persons in Madurai, the minister reportedly said that he had not expressed his personal opinion for the party's sake.
He then said, “Sasikala has worked hard to form the government in the State. There is no difference of opinion regarding this fact and I will not change my opinion. But in today’s situation, I do not want my opinion to cause any hindrance to the decisions taken by CM Palaniswami and Deputy CM Panneerselvam.”
Raju's statement comes at a time when Sasikala is in Chennai after she was granted a five-day parole to visit her ailing husband. This is also a shot in the arm for the TTV Dhinakaran camp.
“His speech reflects the true sense and inner feelings of many partymen who are under the control of EPS-OPS combine now,” said TTV faction's spokesperson CR Saraswathi to TNIE.
“Even hours before moving to the prison at Bengaluru, Sasikala made an emotional appeal to party leaders and MLAs to remain united. All that she had in her mind was party’s unity but shockingly, unfortunate things have happened,” she added.
Sellur Raju has of late, been taking a stand contradictory to other members of the EPS-OPS faction. He had only last month contradicted the claims of two of his cabinet colleagues that no one was allowed to see AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa during her hospitalisation last year.