THE Santan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS) says it has purged itself of any ties to the opposition UNC and rejects any insinuation that it was ever aligned to any political party.

At the presentation of the UNC Coalition of Interests's 39 candidates at the Centre of Excellence, Macoya on April 5, UNC political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar said, "I have purged the politics of caste, class, nepotism, family connections, segregation, discrimination and dynasty from the UNC."

A subsequent newspaper article quoted some political analysts suggesting Persad-Bissessar was referring to UNC founder Basdeo Panday and the SDMS when she made those comments.