DMK Ministers keep rhetoric out, meet Union Mins

Even state Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, who was in a combative mood with the BJP in the initial few weeks of the DMK regime, has been exercising restraint of late. He does not pack a punch against the who’s who of the BJP, as he did a few months ago. From criticizing his counterpart at the Centre, Thiaga Rajan has now progressed to presenting a bouquet to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. 

Ministers like Duraimurugan (Water resources), KN Nehru (Municipal Administration), EV Velu (Highways), Thangam Thennarasu (Industries), KR Periakaruppan (Rural Development), Ma Subramanian (Health) and K Ramachandran (Forest) have met the Union Ministers concerned for getting funds or consent for schemes implemented by their ministries. 

The visits have also coincided with the eerie calm of the prominent DMK leaders in criticizing the BJP. Barring the retort of state Electricity Minister V Senthilbalaji, who had also petitioned a Union Minister recently. 

A senior DMK leader said, “Why should we lash out at BJP leaders unnecessarily? If they level political criticism as BJP state chief K Annamalai does, we have leaders to respond to it. Our Minister hit out at Annamalai for levelling baseless allegations in strong language. Our Ministers meet Union Ministers for state’s welfare. Nothing wrong. There is no need to maintain a confrontational approach with the BJP for the sake of it. Otherwise, there is no change in our approach to the BJP, politically.”