Warring AIADMK factions close to truce, eye merger

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu’s ruling AIADMK faction sacked on Thursday its deputy general secretary TTV Dinakaran, accelerating a possible merger of the party’s two warring groups.

Chief minister Edappadi Palanisami declared as “improper, unacceptable and invalid” the appointment of Din aka ran to the post by his aunt, jailed party chief V KS a si kala, who was convicted of corruption in February.

Din aka ran and his supporters refused to accept the decision, which was taken at an hour-long meeting between Palanisami, about 30 ministers and senior leaders at the party office.

He warned the chief minister, who was hand picked by Sasik ala, of “surgical action” and said the revolt won’t stand because the ruling group had endorsed her as party chief in an affidavit to the Election Commission.

“No one has the right to remove or expel me. Only Sasikala has the power,” he said in Thanjavur.

And in an oblique reference to the B JP, he said :“They are scared because of some outside forces.”

Accordingto sources, the BJP is nudging the two factions to merge and join the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre.

The BJP has been wooing the AI AD MK for long because of its 50 parliamentarians— 37 in the Lok Sabha and 13 in the Raj ya S ab ha. The party is also seeking to expand its footprint in the state, where it has negligible presence.

Besides, the infighting in the AI AD MK since the death of party supremo J Jayalalithaa last December has created a political vacuum in the state.