TTV Dinakaran, the ousted general secretary of the AIADMK, turned the tables on his main rivals Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswamy and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam on Saturday by declaring that he was leading a Dharma Yudh against those who are clamouring for ousting VK Sasikala, the jailed general secretary of the party. The term Dharma Yudha was the slogan used by rebel AIADMK leader Panneerselvam since his removal as Chief Minister in early February.
Two more MlAs have joined the Dinakaran camp taking the number of MlAs supporting the latter to 21. In his first interaction with journalists since the EPS and OPS factions merged early this week, Dinakaran said he was confident that the Governor C Vidyasagar Rao would take the right and judicious decision as demanded by the 19 MlAs of the AIADMK who are staying put at a Puducherry resort. “Democracy is alive and kicking in Tamil Nadu because of those 19 MlAs who are staying at Puducherry. They are not purchasable commodities,” said Dinakaran who declared that those who wanted to oust Sasikala as general secretary would be taught a befitting lesson by the party cadre.
Governor Rao is flying down to Chennai late Saturday evening to take part in a reception being hosted in the city for M Venkiah Naidu, the vice-president. “But more than twice this number are certain to join us,” said Thanga Tamil Selvan, MlA who is a close confidante of Dinakaran.
Speaking to this newspaper over telephone from Puducherry, Tamil Selvan disclosed that the MlAs have sought appointment with the Governor for Monday.
“We are sure the Governor would take the right decision once he listens to us. We have also sought appointment with the President of India so that he could be informed about the ground realities,” said Tamil Selvan, who represents Andippatti, the Assembly constituency previously represented by former Chief Ministers MGR and Jayalalithaa.
RT Ramachandran, MlA belonging to the EPS camp, on Saturday challenged the Dinakaran faction to come out with an explanation why they did not use even a single picture of VK Sasikala during the RK Nagar bypoll which was rescinded by the Eelection Commission. “let us dissolve the Government and call for a snap poll. We will fight the election on Jayalalithaa's legacy and let the other camp face the poll with Sasikala's pictures and goodwill,” said Ramachandran.
In another development, two MlAs belonging to the Dinakaran camp questioned the propriety of appointing Ma Foi Pandiarajan as a minister. “Pandiarajan is a johny-come-lately to the AIADMK camp. There are ,many MlAs who have sacrificed their lives for late Amma when she was alive. Why they were overlooked while appointing Pandiarajan as minister,” asked Rathinasabapathy, MlA.
Even as the wordy duel between the two factions is getting intensified by the hour, chief minister Palaniswamy is going ahead with his routine schedule. But C R Saraswathy, spokesperson for the Sasikala/Dinakaran camp is confident that the government would fall any time. Stability, a hallmark of Tamil Nadu politics has become an alien word in the State as the fighting between the two factions is getting intensified.