Tamil Nadu chief-minister Edapadi K. Palaniswami has blamed the print and television media for giving undue coverage to expelled AIADMK dissident and R.K. Nagar's independent MLA Dinakaran.  “It seems they (the media-persons) are keen to make him a VIP,” the chief-minister quipped while talking to newsmen in Salem yesterday.

Speaking on many issues, the chief-minister said that it was the AIADMK which initially opposed the ‘triple talaq’ system in the Muslim community.  “We are a secular party and we have sustained efforts to break the party after the mysterious demise of our ‘Puratchithalaivi’ in 2016.  Opposition parties and our adversaries keep saying something or the other to disrupt our secular structure which is intact,” he assured.

“Controversy surrounding lyricist Vairamuthu’s ‘Andal’ remarks is a huge issue and it can’t be discussed now,” he said.  On another issue, he refused to comment on Kamal Haasan’s proposed tour of the State saying that in a democracy, everyone is entitled to do things as per his/her wish,” he said.

Switching to his favourite topic of Dinakaran, the chief-minister said that the whole world was aware how he won from R.K. Nagar.  “It is the media which is making him a VIP; he was shunned by ‘Puratchithalaivi’ for 10 years and wasn’t allowed to come anywhere near Poes Garden or party office.  Why give undue coverage or significance to Dinakaran for the sake of sensationalizing things?” he asked the media.