MDMK founder Vaiko on Wednesday dismissed calls by a group of dissenters to merge his party with its parent outfit, the DMK, saying the same group had tried to create confusion when the MDMK’s alliance with the ruling party was going strong.
Addressing journalists after the party’s general council meeting in Chennai, he said the group wanted an alliance with the AIADMK, and some of them were upset because they were not given a ticket to contest last year’s Assembly election.
“They have not attended any party meeting, including the district secretaries’ meeting. My intention is not to hurt anyone. They have travelled with me, so I have let them be without taking any action against them,” Mr. Vaiko said.
The dissenters include the party’s presidium chairman, S. Duraisamy, and the district secretaries from Sivaganga, Virudhunagar and Tiruvallur.
Mr. Vaiko said that of the 1,490 members of the general council, 1,284 participated in Wednesday’s meeting. Mr. Vaiko’s son was elected unopposed as the party’s headquarters secretary. Of the party’s 65 district secretaries, only five were not on the same page, he said.
Adverting to other issues, he blamed the ruling Rajapaksa family for Sri Lanka’s economic crisis, and condemned India’s financial assistance to the island nation.
Mr. Vaiko also condemned the hike in fuel prices.
