EPS, OPS tell MLAs to maintain ‘ decorum’

Amid speculation that rebel T. T. V. Dhinakaran, charged up after his huge RK Nagar bypoll win, could rock the boat for the AIADMK government, the ruling party on Wednesday held a meeting of its MLAs to brief them on how to stay composed and maintain decorum “even if someone says or does something provoking”.

The MLAs meet, convened by AIADMK coordinator O. Panneerselvam and cocoordinator Edappadi K. Palaniswami, was attended by 103 legislators while eight others, including three ministers, could not make it due to either personal reasons or official engagements in the districts, senior minister D. Jayakumar said later. He also brushed aside suggestions that Mr Dhinakaran’s entry into the Assembly could pose problems for the government, saying his presence would make no difference.

After winning the December 21 bypoll by a thumping margin of over 40,000 votes over the AIADMK candidate E. Madhusudhanan, Mr Dhinakaran had virtually served a notice on the government’s survival saying its continuance rested on the compliance of his demand that five- six senior ministers, including CM Palaniswami and deputy CM OPS, should step down. All his subsequent muscleflexing before the TV cameras only indicated that he was bracing for a showdown with the government when the Assembly opens its maiden session for 2018.