CHENNAI: In a possible sign of split in the ruling AIADMK (Amma) faction, a month after declaring that he was distancing himself from the party affairs, its deputy general secretary TTV Dhinakaran on Saturday asserted that he would continue with the party work.
Dhinakaran said none had the power to remove him from the party post conferred on him by his aunt and party general secretary VK Sasikala. He is expected to meet Sasikala in Bengaluru prison on Monday to chalk out his next course of political action. He was apparently emboldened by the presence of 15 MLAs and three MPs who called on him in Delhi after he was released on bail from Tihar jail in the EC bribery case.
TTV’s assertion left the EPS camp, which earlier vowed to sideline Sasikala and her family members, perplexed. While senior minister Dindigul C Sreenivasan endorsed TTV’s statement, ministers S P Velumani and K A Sengottaiyan said chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami alone could react to TTV’s stand. Finance minister D Jayakumar, who was very vocal against the family, chose to say the party’s advisory committee would take a call (on Dhinakaran), and not an individual like him.
Dhinakaran had been in jail after he was arrested by Delhi police on April 25 for allegedly trying to bribe EC officials to reclaim the frozen two leaves symbol of the party.
Asked about his supporters’ claims that he would again involve himself in party work upon his return to Chennai, Dhinakaran shot back: “What again?… I am already involved in party affairs. Just that I had to face this (arrest) in Delhi.” Sasikala re-inducted him into the party and appointed him as deputy general secretary the day she was to leave for Bengaluru Parappana Agrahara prison after the Supreme Court upheld the trial court verdict convicting her in a disproportionate assets case.
When the EPS camp ousted the family on the sidelines of the I-T raids on health minister C Vijaya Baskar’s premises, Dhinakaran said the move was out of “fear.”
On the charges that the AIADMK government was submissive to the Centre, Dhinakaran said that he was unaware of the developments in the state as he had no access to newspapers in prison. “I don’t think anyone will be submissive like what you said… could be friendly.” Incidentally, Dr Namadhu MGR, the party organ, being controlled by the Sasikala family, hit out at the Centre with caustic articles on Modi’s three years of governance. It raised questions like whether the government was there to “save the cattle or the country.” TTV supporters claim that they have found a leader in Dhinakaran. “He will actively involve in party affairs after meeting our general secretary in Bengaluru,” Perambur MLA P Vetrivel said.
Dhinakaran sought to play down the visit by several MLAs, saying it was due to their affection. “All are my friends. I have been released after 40 days in jail. They have come here to welcome me due to affection. It has got nothing to do with politics or anything.”
