REPORTER’S DIARY: This Mr Sampath is no one’s favourite

State Industries Minister M C Sampath seems to be the bad boy of the AIADMK regime. 

At a time when even the Opposition and the treasury benches are sharing excellent camaraderie, Minister Sampath appears to have become a villain to his own party men. Be it MLAs or MPs or local party functionaries, his own party colleagues have been boycotting the Cuddalore District Secretary cum Minister of late.

Even a word from Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami could not end the deadlock between the Minister and his local MLAs and party functionaries. The CM had recently entrusted the task of organizing AIADMK founder MGR’s centenary celebrations on August 18, to Sampath in the latter’s Cuddalore district. 

Accordingly, the minister had advised the district administration to hold a meeting on Saturday to discuss the arrangements for next month’s celebrations. And the meeting took place too. But, it was boycotted by the ruling party MLAs and most local party functionaries, without whom the minister would not be able to mobilise enough men for the grand event, even if he splashes cash aplenty. 

This is not the first instance when the Industries Minister has drawn flak from his own party colleagues. Less than a fortnight ago, AIADMK MLAs from Cuddalore district staged a walkout in the House  in protest, claiming the Minister was not doing ‘anything’ for the district. That said, Sampath is not new to hostilities. His infamous tiff with voters in his own constituency, ahead of 2016 Assembly election is a different story. He had faced such stiff opposition, that the electorate had even hurled slippers at him during one of his campaign trips. Strangely, even that did not stop him from entering Fort St George just a month later.