Willing to strike, but afraid to wound. This seems to be the thinking of AIADMK leaders towards former Minister K.A. Sengottaiyan, who discussed issues concerning the party with Union Ministers Amit Shah and Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi on Monday night.
On Friday last, the former Minister, who till recently held the posts of Erode (Suburban-West) District secretary and organisation secretary, set a 10-day deadline for general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami to initiate the process of unifying all those who left the party. On Tuesday, he told journalists that he had met the Union Ministers and discussed unification of the AIADMK factions, among other issues.
A few senior leaders of the party, while expressing their discomfort with Mr. Sengottaiyan’s action, are, however, guarded in saying whether any disciplinary action will be taken against the rebel leader. “He is one of the senior-most leaders. Should he have to do anything at this stage of his career which will embarrass the party leadership?” is the refrain of the leaders in their interaction with this journalist. The leaders also point out that there has not been any response from the Union Ministers. “Even assuming that the discussion has taken place on the internal affairs of the AIADMK, it is not yet known publicly what Mr. Shah and Ms. Sitharaman have conveyed to him.”
