AIADMK factions brace for tough talks on merger
new delhi — Recently this newspaper reported on Delhi police serving a look-out notice for T. Dinakaran, the nephew of the ousted AIADMK general secretary (Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), V. K. Sasikala.
The look-out notice related to an alleged bribery case where Dinakaran had approached a fixer to the party’s election symbol, Two Leaves, for Rs50 crore.
Late Wednesday, the police finally traced Dinakaran to his house in Chennai, where it all went a little flat. Dinakaran told the police they were getting theatrical: he had no intention of fleeing the country as the police had alleged, and that in any case, his passport was in the possession of a court. The police tamely left after telling him to join the formal inquiry on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the merger of two factions in the party led by the chief minister, K. Palaniswamy, who was close at one point to Sasikala, and the former chief minister, O. Panneerselvam, seem to be heading for rough turf contrary to earlier indications.
The Panneerselvam faction wants Palaniswamy to withdraw the affidavits filed with the election commission declaring Sasikala and Dinakaran as general secretary and deputy general secretary respectively.
They also said a merger was not possible till Palaniswamy ordered a probe into the death of the former chief minister and party president, Jayalalitha. Panneerselvam has repeatedly said that Jayalalitha’s death was not due to natural causes.
A spokesperson for the Palaniswamy faction said merger talks should be unconditional. He said the ouster of Sasikala and Dinakaran from the party in effect means they no longer hold any office positions in the party.
As for the probe into Jayalalitha’s death, he said: “Already there is a public interest litigation case before the Madras High Court asking for an inquiry. The state government is ready to act on the court’s order. Why make a song and dance about it?” The leader of the Tamil Nadu opposition, M. K. Stalin, said it was sad that the two factions were fighting it out in the public. “These people are just greedy for power and what comes with it. It is just shameful.”
So it is. But it is politics.