An invitation circulated by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) announcing that State Cooperation Minister Sellur K. Raju would flag off a rally of swayamsevaks at Madurai on October 8 triggered a row with three AIADMK alliance party MLAs urging the Chief Minister to intervene and stop Mr. Raju from attending the event.
However, when asked about it, Mr. Raju said that the organisers from the RSS approached him and requested to inaugurate the rally on October 8. “I told them that I have to check my availability but they came again and presented the invitation. However, as I would be away at Dharmapuri district on that date to participate in the MGR centenary celebrations, I told the organisers about my unavailability,” he added. Meanwhile, in a joint statement, U. Thaniyarasu, M. Thamimun Ansari and S. Karunaas — all allies who won on AIADMK symbol — objected to the event and urged Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami to take efforts to maintain law and order during the rally.
Referring to the posters displayed in Madurai about the RSS rally and that it would be flagged off by Mr. Raju, the joint statement said the police had had denied permission to RSS rallies several times when former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was in power and permission could be obtained only after the organisers agreed to conditions imposed by the courts.
“Against this background, the government under Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, which claims to follow the footsteps of Amma, has allowed this rally, which is a betrayal (of Jayalalithaa),” they said in the statement.
Reacting to the RSS invitation, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee spokesperson K. Gopanna said various factions of the AIADMK have been warming up to the BJP since the death of Jayalalithaa for their political survival and increasingly they were depending on the BJP.
“AIADMK was in power not because of its ideology but by the charismatic leader Jayalalithaa. For political survival, the AIADMK leaders would not hesitate to even become members of the RSS,” Mr. Gopanna said.
