The walkout by Thangatamilselvan, a known supporter of deputy general secretary of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (Amma) T.T.V. Dhinakaran, from the Legislative Assembly on Monday has brought to the fore chinks in the armour of the AIADMK (Amma).
Though Mr. Thangatamilselvan was quick to point out that his protest was only to highlight, what he called, the denial of opportunity to raise in the House a local issue, his walkout marked the “rarest of the rare” moments in the history of Tamil Nadu Assembly with a legislator of the ruling party himself displaying his annoyance in a manner that is normally associated with the Opposition.
During the course of the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called up Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, also the headquarters secretary of the AIADMK (Amma), and sought his support for the presidential polls. This signalled the further sidelining of Mr. Dhinakaran, even though Mr. Palaniswami’s position in the party is not something that has been spelt out by the rules and regulations of the original AIADMK.
On Saturday, when the media received invitation for the ruling party’s customary Iftar event to be held on Wednesday, it was the name of Mr. Palaniswami which figured in the invitation prominently with no mention of Mr. Dhinakaran. This was despite a reported plea by a group of legislators of Mr. Dhinakaran, in a meeting with the Chief Minister, for holding the event under the auspices of the deputy general secretary.
More protests in store
Asked whether there would be more protests by Mr. Dhinakaran’s supporters in the light of Mr. Thangatamilselvan’s walkout, A. Anwar Rajah, Ramanathapuram MP and secretary of the minorities’ wing of the AIADMK (Amma), does not rule out the possibility. However, he asserts that there would not be “any problem to the party and the government.”
P. Thangamani, Electricity Minster and one of the prominent members of the Palaniswami camp, says that though there are conflicting versions on what Mr. Thangatamilselvan did, no member of the House can behave the way he or she wanted. Otherwise, Speaker would not be able to ensure the smooth conduct of the Assembly.
P. Vetrivel, another associate of Mr. Dhinakaran, reiterates his statement that when an occasion arises, supporters of the deputy general secretary will not hesitate to express their position in the Assembly.
At the same time, he points out that while his camp is also not for bringing down the government, the conduct of the present regime does not command respect of the people. In view of “leadership vacuum” created by the death of Jayalalithaa, only “Chinnamma [jailed interim general secretary] V.K. Sasikala and Mr. Dhinakaran can fill the void,” he adds.
