We were merely invitees to Murugan meet: Udhayakumar
Madurai: Senior
AIADMK
leader R B Udhayakumar has reiterated that their party leaders attended the Murugan devotee conference as invited guests, believing it wouldn't be political or politicised.
In a video statement on Tuesday, he stated that the conference has nothing to do with AIADMK and doesn't reflect its principles or views.
His statement comes after the party faced backlash over a video of Periyar and Anna played during the conference reportedly making disrespectful references to them.
Udhayakumar said the
DMK
is continuously targeting AIADMK leaders and Edappadi K Palaniswami instead of focusing on welfare schemes and projects for the benefit of the people of
Tamil Nadu
.
He said they attended the conference as a gesture of courtesy. "The DMK knows this very well. We didn't even know about the video of Periyar and Anna that was played during the conference as we couldn't see it from where we were seated. We will never give up on our principles, unlike DMK which compromises easily," he said.
The AIADMK leader said EPS has taken strong stands against BJP even as an alliance partner, and no disrespect to Anna or Amma will be tolerated.
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"Even in the Cauvery water issue, we stood up for the people of Tamil Nadu. Be it alliance or opposition, we will be strong in our principles. But, DMK wants to use anything as an excuse to spread false information and target AIADMK," he added.
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AMMK general secretary T T V Dhinakaran said Anna and Periyar were pivotal figures of the Dravidian movement, and airing a video intended to undermine them was regrettable. Though he was also invited to the conference, he skipped it owing to other commitments, he told reporters after a party meeting in Salem.
"They could have chosen not to criticise anyone in the meeting, which was attended by representatives from all parties," he said.
Meanwhile, members of Madurai People's Federation for Religious Harmony submitted a petition on Tuesday to Madurai city police commissioner seeking action against the organisers of the Murugan devotees conference for 'violating' court guidelines. They alleged that some of the speeches by BJP leaders and resolutions were provocative in nature and promoted enmity between religious groups.
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