AIADMK ready to re-induct 18 rebels, but says no place for Sasikala, TTV

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu’s ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) on Monday ruled out the return of VK Sasikala and her nephew, TTV Dhinakaran, to the party while showing the willingness to re-induct the 18 lawmakers disqualified for supporting them.

Sasikala, who took over the AIADMK’S reins after former chief minister Jayalalithaa’s death in 2016, was sacked from the party six months after she was convicted of corruption and jailed for four years in February 2017. In December 2017, Dhinakaran, as an independent candidate, successfully contested the assembly by-election necessitated by Jayalalithaa’s death.

The MLAS were disqualified last year under the anti-defection law after they wrote to the Governor seeking chief minister E Palaniswami’s replacement. The Madras high court in October upheld the disqualification.

“Not today, not tomorrow, and not even in the future, Sasikala, Dhinakaran and their relatives will be taken back,” Tamil Nadu minister D Jayakumar told journalists.

Jayakumar’s statement came a day after Dhinakaran’s aide and one of the disqualified legislators, Thanga Tamilselvan, said the Bharatiya Janata Party was trying to unite AIADMK’S factions ahead of the 2019 national elections.

Tamilselvan said by-polls to the 18 seats the disqualified lawmakers represented would result in a political realignment. “If they (AIADMK) win the bypolls, we would join hands with them, if we win, they will come to us,” he said.

Jayakumar welcomed Tamilselvan’s statement and said the 18 can return to the party.

Another disqualified lawmaker, Rajenthira Bhalaji, is holding a conclave of his supporters in Karur to decide his future course of action.