Chennai: State Electricity Minister R Nirmal Kumar on Tuesday stated that Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay had sought an appointment with AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami to meet him after assuming office, but the request was declined.
"It was EPS who refused to meet Vijay, and it was not the other way round," Nirmal Kumar told reporters in Chennai on Tuesday. Vijay had met other senior political leaders including DMK president M K Stalin, MDMK general secretary Vaiko, PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss, and NTK chief Seeman. He faced criticism for choosing to meet former AIADMK minister C Ve Shanmugam, who leads a group of rebel AIADMK MLAs, instead of EPS.
Nirmal Kumar defended Vijay, noting that other leaders granted appointments while EPS did not. "Vijay wanted to meet every political leader in the state. Some refused to meet Vijay because they could not move past their electoral defeats. An appointment was sought from Palaniswami, but he refused, citing the political situation," Nirmal Kumar said.
