Tamil Nadu deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam wanted to meet rebel AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran to topple chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswamy, a Dhinakaran loyalist alleged on Thursday.
Thanga Tamilselvan, who was one of the 18 MLAs disqualified for supporting Dhinakaran, made the allegation in an interview to a private Tamil TV channel.
“Panneerselvam wanted to meet our leader last week. However, Dhinakaran refused an audience to him. Panneerselvam attempted this through a common friend of him and Dhinakaran,” he said.
Tamilsevan also alleged that Panneerselvam wanted to meet Dhinakaran last year itself to remove Palaniswamy.
“In last June 2017, Panneerselvam tried to meet Dhinakaran with an intention to join us. He had the intention to topple the government,” he said.
When HT tried to contact Panneerselvam and his supporters, they did not respond.
However, a former AIADMK MLA said Tamilselvan was only seeking publicity.
“We know Tamilselvan. He always wants to be in the news. Therefore, he has levelled this allegation. We don’t have any necessity to join with TTV Dhinakaran. We will file a defamation suit against Tamilselvan for his malicious and biased statement,” the legislator, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said.