A majority of the Ministers in the Edappadi K. Palaniswami-led Cabinet are disillusioned and they have established contact with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma) camp with a mood of crossing over, former Minister S. Semmalai said here on Monday.
An FIR has been registered against a Minister and the IT department conducted raids in the residence of another Cabinet member. If Jayalalithaa had been alive she would have initiated action against these Ministers, Mr. Semmalai said while addressing a meeting of the party workers to discuss arrangements for the visit of O. Panneerselvam to the city. But Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami is not able to initiate any action against the tainted ministers. Following this, about a dozen disillusioned Ministers and 35 MLAs belonging to the AIADMK (Amma) faction want to switch over to the AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma) camp, he said.
Though the Chief Minister has claimed the support of 122 MLAs and a large number of district secretaries, it is the OPS camp that enjoyed the support of 98 % of party workers.
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He said that the leaders in the OPS camp had been expressing their opinion in a dignified manner. But some leaders of the rival camp were speaking in an irresponsible manner. The current regime was luring the MLAs with money and various other offers. People who were after money were now behind bars in Tihar and Bengaluru prisons, he added.