E-Paper
AIADMK merger ‘betrayal’ of Sasikala, a commercial agreement: Dinakaran
Dinakaran, nephew of Sasikala, vowed to protect the party and retrieve its “Two Leaves” symbol .
Sidelined party Deputy General Secretary TTV Dinkaran has dubbed the merger of two factions of the AIADMK as a “betrayal” of party general secretary VK Sasikala.
Breaking his silence on the sudden developments leading to the merger of the factions led by chief minister K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam, Dinakaran, in a series of tweets on Monday night, also questioned the durability of the arrangement.
“It is not a merger. It is a commercial agreement reached for self-interest and hunger for positions and to protect posts,” he claimed.
Stating that his political journey would continue, he vowed to protect the party and retrieve its “Two Leaves” symbol which has been frozen by the Election Commission ahead of the now cancelled April 14 byelection to RK Nagar Assembly constituency.
On Tuesday, Dinakaran announced that senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP R Vaithilingam had been removed from all party posts. Vaithilingam, one of the leaders of the Palaniswami camp, had said after the merger that steps would be taken to expel Sasikala by the General Council, a key demand made by Panneerselvam.
In his tweets on Monday, Dhinakaran, nephew of Sasikala, said he was suffering from sore throat and fever and had been advised rest and would meet the media on Wednesday.
“Only god knows how long this (merger) will hold. In 1989, in deference to the wishes of cadres, Amma (late chief minister Jayalalithaa) was accepted as the general secretary and all united under her leadership,” he said.
Dinakaran was referring to the then reunification of the party after a split following the death of AIADMK founder and late chief minister MG Ramachandran in December 1987.
The split ensued after Ramachandran’s wife Janaki was appointed chief minister and Jayalalithaa claimed the support of the cadres.
“But today, the cadres cannot digest the merger which is accompanied with the announcement that steps would be taken to expel the general secretary (Sasikala) who was accepted by themselves,” he claimed, adding that it was a “betrayal”.
Dinakaran claimed not only the AIADMK cadres, but even the public would not forgive “those who betrayed the general secretary who made Pannerselvam and Palaniswami the chief ministers after the death of Jayalalithaa”.
Charging that it was Panneerselvam who was instrumental in the freezing of the AIADMK symbol, he sought to know how the cadres would accept it.
“How can they (Palaniswami camp) join hands with Panneerselvam who till yesterday was branding the regime ruling the state as corrupt,” he said.
His tweets came hours after the factions merged and Panneerselvam, who had challenged Sasikala’s leadership, was appointed the deputy chief minister and his close aide K Pandiarajan a minister.
On Vaithilingam, AIADMK’s Thanjavur (South) district secretary, Dinakaran said his removal from all posts, besides primary membership was for “going against the party’s policies and bringing disrepute” to it.
“I request party workers to not to have any truck with him,” Dinakaran said in a statement.
He added that the announcement was being made with the “approval” of Sasikala who is serving her jail term in the disproportionate wealth case in a Bengaluru prison.
Vaithilingam, a former minister, was named party deputy coordinator during the merger event at the AIADMK headquarters.
