EPS, OPS unite even as Dinakaran bristles at merger
It is full-blown war in the AIADMK with supporters of deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam who marched to the sea-side resort — The Windflower Resort and Spa — at Puducherry, burnt the effigy of Dinakaran, and tried to break police cordon on Wednesday afternoon.
On a day when Congress came out in full support of Dinakaransupporting MLAs by writing another letter to the governor seeking an urgent floor test, the sacked AIADMK deputy general secretary went on a sacking spree himself, targeting leaders who he thought were commenting against Sasikala. Among those ‘sacked’ by Dinakaran from party posts included minister RB Udayakumar. MLAs holed up inside the resort are said to be given instructions to stay put till further orders from Dinakaran.
More bad news greeted Dinakaran camp after the Supreme Court dismissed review petition filed by Sasikala challenging the judgment holding her guilty in disproportionate assets case. V Pugalendi, TTV supporter, said, “We were expecting a favourable judgment. But we still have the option of a curative petition which we will use.”
The judgment comes as a shot in the arm for the OPS camp that had raised a banner of revolt against Sasikala. In fact, it was OPS who revolted on February 7 at the Amma Memorial on Marina Beach, that plunged Tamil Nadu into political turmoil that took over six months to settle with the merger of the two AIADMK factions on Monday.
But this was not be as Dinakaran breathed fire at the very prospect of the merger as he was sidelined and efforts were being made to oust his aunt Sasikala.
On Wednesday, OPS thanked chief minister E Palanisami and promised to tread the path chosen by MGR and Amma. “Now I have got this opportunity to meet you all and thank Jayalalithaa for everything she did for me. For this I am grateful to EPS for giving me this chance,” Panneerselvam said to thunderous applause at a MGR centenary celebrations function in Tiruchirapalli. “I will walk the path shown by MGR and Amma,” he said.
Palanisami expressed happiness over the merger and said “seeing a unified party makes me immensely happy”. Thanking OPS in return, he said, “We are together after a gap of six months and I am happy that we will be working to translate Amma’s dreams into reality.”
Almost all ministers were present on the dais as a show of unity was presented to voters at the rally. With the factions merging, its MLAs gathered courage to take on the Dinakaran faction, indicating the thinking of the government. VC Arukutty, MLA from Kavundampalayam in Coimbatore, dared the 19 MLAs. “We know how to save our government,” he said. “If you pull down Amma’s government, people will not forgive you.”