On the eve of the launch of a State-wide campaign by dissident MLAs of the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), the party’s deputy general secretary, T.T.V. Dinakaran, on Thursday struck a conciliatory tone, as he invited “those who have gone astray” to return to the party fold.
Quizzed whether his invitation would apply to former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, who has been expelled from the party, Mr. Dinakaran told an impromptu press meet at the party headquarters that it would be applicable to “anyone who has left the parent party”, adding that the organisation would take them back “with motherly affection and magnanimity.”
However, he also pointed out that even when the party was under the leadership of M.G. Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa, it had withstood “acts of betrayal” by certain individuals.
The activities of some individuals would not affect the party, he said, adding, “No one can shake us.”
“Please wait and watch,” was his answer to a question on whether the party would initiate steps for the disqualification of another 9 MLAs who had voted against the vote of confidence motion moved by Edappadi K. Palaniswami, over which the party had earlier expelled two MLAs, including former School Education Minister K. Pandiarajan.
‘No family domination’
Flanked by senior party leaders K.A. Sengottaiyan and M. Thambidurai, the deputy general secretary rebutted the criticism of the Opposition that the State government would be in the grip of the family of the AIADMK’s interim general secretary V.K. Sasikala, who has been imprisoned over a disproportionate assets case.
“As far as the AIADMK government is concerned, it is being run by one-and-a-half crore members of the party. Never has it been dominated by an individual or one particular family. In the future also, we will not allow such a thing to happen,” he said.
On the visit of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (DMK) working president M.K. Stalin to New Delhi to present a memorandum to President Pranab Mukherjee on the events that unfolded in the Assembly last week, Mr. Dinakaran said that Mr. Stalin was “trying to do something out of frustration” over his party’s failure to dislodge the AIADMK government, adding, “Definitely, he will meet with failure.”
Keeps mum on Deepa
He, however, declined to comment on former CM Jayalalithaa’s niece Deepa Jayakumar’s entry into the political fray.
Asked whether his party was taking steps to bring Ms. Sasikala to Chennai, Mr. Dinakaran replied in the negative.
To a question on whether he would contest from the R.K. Nagar assembly constituency, where a by-election is slated to be held in the wake of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s death, he said a decision in this regard would be taken by the party.
On the reported remark by Nilakkottai MLA R. Thangathurai that Mr. Dinakaran should become the Chief Minister, he termed it as the personal opinion of the former, adding that one need not take statements made by some individuals “out of enthusiasm.”
“All MLAs of the party had elected Mr. Edappadi K. Palaniswami as the leader of the legislature party, and he had also won the vote of confidence with the support of 122 MLAs. He is the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.” Mr. Dinakaran affirmed.
