Minister K.A. Sengottaiyan on Saturday rejected allegations of “horse-trading” and said the practice was first introduced by the DMK in Tamil Nadu politics.
Speaking to reporters in Erode, he cited past instances from the Jayalalithaa era, claiming that an MDMK leader, Ramakrishnan, was made to resign and later brought into the DMK, and was subsequently given an opportunity to contest again.
He also referred to Anita Radhakrishnan, saying she had earlier been in the AIADMK and alleged that similar political moves were carried out by the DMK. Sengottaiyan said he did not see any necessity for “horse-trading” on his side.
He argued that the current government and alliance were stable, pointing to representation for parties such as the Congress, VCK and the Muslim League in the cabinet, while Communist parties were extending outside support.
Sengottaiyan added that “horse-trading” would be relevant only for those running a minority government, and insisted that the present administration was strong and functioning with public support.
