The game of numbers is on in Tamil Nadu as the group led by TTV Dinakaran of AIADMK (Amma) claiming by late Monday night that 20 MlAs attended the MGR Centenary Public Meeting held at Melur near Madurai. The group led by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has been claiming that it had the support of 122 MlAs in the House, which has a total strength of 234.
“As on today, we have the support of 115 MlAs. It is not a big problem for us to get the support of two or three MlAs when it is time for the vote of confidence,” said Dindigul Sreenivasan, Minister for Forests and Environment who is a powerful leader of the AIADMK (Amma) group.
This has set the ball rolling and the EPS Government has been put on notice by the Dinakaran faction by staging a mammoth rally on Monday. Unconfirmed reports tell that there were 20 MlAs and six MPs who decided to throw in their lot with the Dinakaran faction.
The DMK, the principal Opposition party, has made it known that it would bring in a no-confidence motion against the EPS Government on the first available opportunity and this may happen in August itself. The DMK can ask for convening a special session of the House in the backdrop of statements and counter statements being issued by the two factions of the ruling party.
The possibilities of the AIADMK (Amma) and the AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma) groups merging look bleak as the Monday discussion between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, who heads the AIADMK (PTA), did not bear fruit. Though OPS group has set two demands as pre-condition for the merger, the positions to be allocated the confidants of the former Chief Minister in the merged entity is remaining as a stumbling block, according to sources in his camp.
OPS insists that he should be made either the general secretary or the Chief Minister. But the EPS camp is not willing to part with both the posts. The grapevine is that OPS may be made the deputy Chief Minister with one or two money spinning departments (preferably the Home or the Public Works Departments). In addition to this, his trusted aides like MaFoi Pandyarajan, and Semmalai have to be accommodated in the Council of Ministers.
Uncertainty could be as the only word which could be used to describe the political landscape of Tamil Nadu. Meanwhile, buoyed by the success of Monday’s rally, Dinakaran has decided to undertake a tour all over the State to address public meetings and to interact with party cadre. The two-way group war in the AIADMK has become a no holds barred three-way fight.