Chennai: Moving ahead with businesslike demeanour even amid threats from the restless TTV Dhinakaran camp, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Friday set the date for his Iftar party and sent out invitations for the solemn Ramzan get-together on June 21.
The CM will be holding the Iftar party at the Chennai Trade Centre in Nandambakkam, at the same venue where late Jayalalithaa used to have her well-attended Iftar parties on behalf of the AIADMK during every Ramzan month.
While everyone else appreciated and welcomed CM’s invitations, the TTV Dhinakaran camp appeared livid that their demand that their chieftain must preside over the party’s Iftar party has been ignored.
This was one of the three main conditions laid by the TTV team of 32 legislators for their support to the party’s choice in the Presidential election — the other two being red-carpet welcome by CM to TTV to return to the party headquarters to take charge of the AIADMK affairs, inviting TTV to preside over all the MGR centenary celebrations of the party across the state, including the finale at Chennai where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected. “We are extremely disappointed. We are angry. CM has gone against our demand”, said staunch TTV loyalist Thanga Tamilchelvan, Andipatti MLA. “We will meet the CM on Monday and reiterate our demand that Annan TTV must preside over the Iftar party”, he told DC.
Asked if the TTV group would boycott the CM’s Iftar if he does not heed to their demand on Monday, he quipped, “We will take the decision after the Monday meeting”. To another question about the Presidential poll, he said the TTV group “will vote en bloc for the candidate pointed out by party general secretary Chinnamma (Sasikala)”.
