Chief Minister M K Stalin, who attended the Republic Day parade at the Marina in the morning hours of Monday presented gallantry awards to winners and also shared the stage with the Governor, besides exchanging pleasantries.
Chennai: The DMK and its allies boycotted the at-home tea party hosted by Governor R N Ravi at the Raj Bhavan for Republic Day on Monday in protest against what they perceived as the Governor’s hostile stand against the State government that found expression in his refusal to read out the Governor’s Address in the Assembly.
Chief Minister M K Stalin, who attended the Republic Day parade at the Marina in the morning hours of Monday presented gallantry awards to winners and also shared the stage with the Governor, besides exchanging pleasantries.
Once the event was over, the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and other Ministers left for Thanjavur to take part in the party’s women’s conference. However State officials attended the tea party at Raj Bhavan.
Though AIADMK leaders and party functionaries were there at the tea party, their general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami was promiscuous by his absence. State BJP leaders also attended the event and it provided an opportunity for BJP State president Nainar Nagenthiran to speak to L K Sudheesh, a top functionary of the DMDK and brother of that party’s general secretary Premalatha VIjayakanth.
The speculation was that Nagenthiran urged Sudheesh to prevail upon his party leaders to take a call on joining the NDA alliance.
