Twenty four hours before the arrival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Chennai for inaugurating the two-wheeler scheme for women, the AIADMK Government led by Edappadi Palaniswamy suffered a major setback as Ayyappa Prabhu, the young MlA representing Kallakurichi in Villupuram district declared his support to TTV Dinakaran, the rebel leader who is the nephew of jailed V K Sasikala.
“All is not well in the camp led by Chief Minister Palaniswamy and his deputy O Panneerselvam. The AIADMK has become a rudderless ship and there is no effective leadership to navigate the party through this difficult times,” Prabhu told The Pioneer over telephone from his constituency. He also disclosed that more MlAs would follow suit in the coming days by declaring their loyalty to Dinakaran.
Prabhu, accompanied by his loyalists called on Dhinakaran at the latter’s residence in Chennai on Friday morning. “There is total discontentment in the AIADMK. More and more workers and activists are waiting for the right moment to declare their loyalty to Dinakaran and Sasikala,” said Prabhu.
He said there is no possibility of an election to the Tamil Nadu Assembly in the near future. “The AIADMK Government will complete its term in office. But we are sure that there is going to be a leadership change. You wait till the Madras High Court delivers its verdict in the petition filed by the disqualified MlAs,” said Prabhu. The MlA said that Kumaraguru, the Villupuram district secretary of the party, was not allowing him tio undertake any development work in the constituency. “The district secretary is close to the Chief Minister who does not want to antagonise the former. Kumaraguru is not allowing me to enter the constituency,” said Prabhu.