AIADMK deputy general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran on Saturday said he hoped the Tamil Nadu Governor would agree to the legitimate demands raised by the 19 MLAs supporting him.
These were his first public comments since the MLAs handed over letters to the Governor announcing their withdrawal of support to the Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami.
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Mr. Dhinakaran said he wanted those who wanted to remove V.K. Sasikala as party general secretary taught a lesson.
He went on to invoke ‘dharma’, a refrain of deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam during his rebellion, to describe his efforts. "The MLAs hope that the Governor will agree to their legitimate demands. They are not motivated by money; if they were on the other side, you know what benefits they would have got in return. They are with me because I am with truth and dharma. Those who wanted the removal of the general secretary should be taught a lesson. Only the general secretary can guide the party," he said.
Mr. Dhinakaran emerged from his Karpagam Gardens residence in a car and alighted to answer only one question from waiting journalists. Sporting a stubble, he said his doctor had advised him against speaking, considering a sore throat. He said that he was on his way to attend a wedding at Tirupur. "No one except God can threaten me. I am answerable only to God and truth," he said.
He said his efforts were intended to be a wakeup call to Tamilians all over the world. "The 19 MLAs [at the resort in Puducherry] are not there because of threats against them. Only because they have adopted a sacrificial attitude to protect this party by being there, you all have come here to ask questions about it. Not just Tamil Nadu, the whole of India is carefully observing these developments," he said.
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