DMK leader MK Stalin chided Tamil Nadu Finance Minister O Panneerselvam for Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa not taking him along during her Delhi visit earlier this week. (File photo)
DMK treasurer and opposition leader in Tamil Nadu Assembly MK Stalin today rejected reports of differences with his father and party chief M Karunanidhi, as he charged arch rival AIADMK with trying to create confusion among DMK workers.
Mr Stalin also described as "indecent allegation"; Finance Minister O Panneerselvam's claim that DMK's demand for proper facilities for wheelchair-bound Karunanidhi to attend Assembly proceedings was due to problems between him and Mr Karunanidhi.
"Panneerselvam has embarked on creating confusion in the party and the family by claiming that there are differences between the father and the son. This does not behold his minister's post," Mr Stalin said in a statement in Chennai.
He, without elaborating, said Mr Panneerselvam was not known to make such statements "but has been forced to do so".
"The contention by Panneerselvam and reports in some dailies supporting them (AIADMK) that there are differences between the father (Karunanidhi) and the son (Stalin) are completely false. The efforts by AIADMK to create confusion in DMK will not succeed," he said.
Mr Panneerselvam should not resort to making such "baseless" allegations, he said.
"There cannot be a worse allegation than that I snatched away the Opposition Leader's post from Kalaignar (Karunanidhi). In fact, when DMK was in power, he allowed me to reply on the debate on Governor's address," Mr Stalin said recalling his father's chief ministerial tenure.
On Mr Panneerselvam's claim that a letter from Mr Stalin to Speaker P Dhanapal on the seating arrangement for DMK legislators did not mention Mr Karunanidhi's name, the opposition leader said his party whip R Sakkarapani had separately taken up the DMK chief's case through a letter.
Mr Stalin said he himself had drawn Mr Karunanidhi's attention to that particular letter and that he had approved it.
He also chided Mr Panneerselvam for Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa not taking him along during her Delhi visit earlier this week.
She had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and presented a dossier of demands for funds for projects in various sectors.
On Friday, Mr Panneerselvam had alleged that DMK's row over seating arrangement for Mr Karunanidhi in the Assembly was a fallout of differences between him and Mr Stalin.
He had also alleged that Mr Stalin had "snatched away" the opposition leader's post from Mr Karunanidhi, who was the top DMK leader.