Minister for Information and Publicity ‘Kadambur’ C. Raju has said that he still supports AIADMK (Amma) deputy general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran despite the party’s decision to distance itself from him and others from the ‘Mannargudi family’.
“He (Dhinakaran) has not quit… He is temporarily distancing himself from the party for its well-being. He will continue to be the deputy general secretary of our party,” Mr. Raju told mediapersons as he emerged from a review meeting held at the Thoothukudi Collectorate here on Friday.
‘He hasn’t quit’
Contending that the party, as envisaged by former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, was providing a “stable and able administration” with the backing of as many as 122 MLAs, the Minister recalled that the last time the AIADMK lost its ‘Two Leaves’ symbol was when its founder and former chief minister M.G. Ramachandran passed away. But even then, the opposing factions merged into a stronger party, which registered resounding electoral victories thereafter.
“In a bid to get back our symbol again, talks are going on for the merger of the two factions of the party. I welcome these efforts, although I do have a personal opinion, which should not derail these attempts. At the same time, Mr. Dhinakaran, who is just keeping a distance from the AIADMK for its well-being, will continue to be the deputy general secretary of the party even after the merger, as he has not quit the party.
The party, after unifying the factions, will win back the ‘Two Leaves’ symbol with the guidance of Amma and form a stronger government in 2021 as well,” Mr. Raju said.
