Minorities outreach: EPS to attend SDPI conference in Madurai tomorrow

CHENNAI: Edappadi K Palaniswamy, the Leader of the Opposition and AIADMK General Secretary, will participate in the state-level conference – Protection of Secularism - on secularism to be conducted by the Tamil Nadu unit of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) in Madurai on January 7.

After cutting ties with the BJP party and exiting the National Democratic Alliance, the AIADMK has been taking calculative measures and sustained efforts in reaching out to minorities to regain their lost votes and popularity among the community, particularly the Muslim community.

“The AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami has confirmed his participation in the conference on Secularism. He is the only political leader invited to the conference outside our party. We have also invited representatives from Hindu and Christian communities,” the national committee member of SDPI Thehlan Baqavi said.

SDPI’s national-level leaders and state presidents of the party units from Karnataka and Kerala would also share the stage with Palaniswami. This also indicates that the AIADMK leadership is pleased to have SDPI and Thamim Ansari’s MJK in its alliance for the crucial Lok Sabha polls. It would also help in negating the attempt of the DMK-led front, which has the IUML, and Manithaneya Makkal Katchi, to paint the AIADMK as an anti-minority party.

“Since the party officially declared the end of ties with the BJP, our leader directed the senior leaders and district secretaries to meet religious heads and leaders of the Muslim community and engage in trust-building measures,” said a functionary, representing the Muslim community, in the AIADMK.

“Our leader’s participation in the SDPI conference will make a strong political statement and it will help us to convince the minorities. It may not fetch the desired result immediately but it will help us gradually gain the trust of the minorities,” said another leader from the western region.