The VK Sasikala/TTV Dinakaran faction of the AIADMK suffered a setback on Sunday with Panrutti Ramachandran, a former Minister and close confidant of late J Jayalalithaa declare that the Mannargudi family has no locus standi in the party.
Ramachandran, who has been maintaining silence since February 14, 2017, when the Supreme Court upheld the conviction of Sasikala, her sister-in-law Elavarasi and nephew TV Sudhakaran by the Bangalore Special Court in the Disproportionate Asset case, told reporters here on Sunday that the action of Sasikala after the apex court verdict was highly authoritarian.
“She appointed her nephew TTV Dinakaran as the deputy general secretary of the AIADMK to bring the party and Government fully under the control of her family. This was against the ethics and principles pursued by party founder MG Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa,” said Ramachandran.
He pointed out that MGR who was a leader of the DMK revolted against Karunanidhi because of the latter’s obsession with his family members and efforts to anoint his children as successors in the party. “What is the difference between Karunanidhi and Sasikala is this the trendIJ” asked Ramachandran. He also pointed out that Dinakaran had been expelled from the party by Jayalalithaa. “But he was readmitted to the party and appointed as deputy general secretary by Sasikala only after the demise of Jayalalithaa,” said Ramachandran.
Though Ramachandran is not an MlA or MP, he is a widely respected leader in Tamil Nadu. With his announcement that his support was not for the Sasikala faction, the Mannargudi family is left with only the new comers to the party. The old guard of the AIADMK is fully lined up under the Chief Minister Edappady Palaniswamy—Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam faction.
It is interesting to note that Ramachandran’s announcement comes immediately after Sasikala and Dinakaran approaching the Madras High Court with a plea to quash the resolutions adopted in the general council meeting of the AIADMK which met at Chennai on September 12.
The September 12 meeting had abolished the post of general secretaryship and declared that Jayalalithaa would be the eternal general secretary which made Sasikala a non-entity in the party.