DINAKARAN BOOKED ON BRIBE CHARGES
NEW DELHI: Delhi Police on Monday booked AIADMK leader TTV Dinakaran for allegedly trying to bribe an Election Commission official for obtaining the party symbol for his faction following the arrest of an alleged middleman.
The Crime Branch of Delhi Police on Monday registered an FIR against ruling AIADMK general secretary TTV Dinakaran, nephew of jailed party chief V K Sasikala, an secured an arrest warrant for alleged attempt to bribe the Election Commission officials to secure the party’s frozen ‘two leaves’ symbol.
The development which may stir Tamil Nadu politics followed Sunday night arrest of Bengaluru-based tout Sukesh Chandrasekhar (27) from a fivestar hotel in the capital and recovery of Rs 1.3 crore alleged bribe money from his hotel room.
The FIR, however, does not name any EC official as police claimed the money could not change hands to identify who could be the possible bribe takers, but a case under Section 8 of the Prevention of Corruption Act was registered on the basis of Sukesh’s admission that the money recovered from him was part of Rs 50 crore Dinakaran had agreed to pay for getting the poll symbol.
Dinakaran told the media in Chennai that he was ready to face any summons from Delhi, but he could only say that he was being framed falsely as he does not know anybody by this name Sukesh Chandrasekhar nor has he bribed anyone for anything.
The crime branch sleuths swung into action on getting a tip-off of black money moving through the capital and nabbed Chandrasekhar waiting in the Hyatt Hotel lounge in South Delhi Sunday night and Dinakaran’s name cropped up during his interrogation. The development comes soon after the Income Tax raids on 50 locations in Tamil Nadu during which the officials had seized Rs 5.5 crore from Tamil Nadu Health Minister Vijayabaskar’s associates. Vijayabaskar is said to be a supporter of Dinakaran.
Dinakaran’s faction contested on the hat symbol after the Election Commission froze the two leaves symbol while acknowledging the split in the party.
He told police that Rs 1.3 crore found with him belonged to Dinakaran who was willing to spend up to Rs 50 crore to “buy” the party’s symbol that was frozen by the Election Commission until it decides which of the two competing groups were the real AIADMK. Dinakaran heads one group while another is led by former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam.
Delhi Police said Chandrasekhar is “well networked” and claimed he has known Dinakaran for about four years.
Meanwhile, there is dissent brewing within the AIADMK with some suggesting that many ministers and legislators are in favour of dumping the Sasikala family for a merger with the faction led by former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam.
“Today the party has been deprived of its ‘Two Leaves’ symbol. The party has nothing to gain from her or Dinakaran. Therefore it would be in the fitness of things to unify the party and retrieve the election symbol. For this, Sasikala and Dinakaran must step down from their party posts,” said a minister.
On his part, Panneerselvam said there was no move for merging the two factions but he was open to such an idea if the other camp came over to him.
Political observer Lenin said, “While it is true that the ministers have realised that they can’t go to the people projecting Sasikala as their leader, given the fragile numbers the AIADMK has in the Assembly, ousting the Sasikala family may not be easy.”