The ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu is all set for another major churning with several senior leaders demanding the resignation of Deputy General Secretary TTV Dinakaran, the nephew of jailed party chief VK Sasikala.
Speaking to Scroll.in on the condition of anonymity, a minister said there was widespread discontent in the AIADMK ranks over the functioning of Sasikala’s family members. Since the Dr Radhakrishnan Nagar bye-election was rescinded by the Election Commission of India on April 9, senior ministers have come under pressure to unify the two warring factions and save the party.
Low-level functionaries in several districts have threatened to jump over to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam if the infighting in the party is not resolved quickly. A large section of the cadre feels the AIADMK would be routed in the impending local bodies election without the “two leaves” symbol, which they fear the Election Commission might take away permanently and declare the two factions –one led by Sasikala and the other by O Panneerselvam – as separate parties.
A group of senior leaders is trying to reach out to Panneerselvam on behalf of Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswamy. But the talks are held up because Dinakaran still commands the support of nearly 20 MLAs, who have the potential to bring down the government.
Meanwhile, ANI reported on Monday that a case has been registered against Dinakaran for allegedly trying to bribe officials to retain the “two leaves” symbol, which was suspended by the Election Commission in March. The commission had also allowed the two factions to contest the RK Nagar bye-election as separate entities. Dinakaran’s faction was called AIADMK (Amma) whereas Panneerselvam’s was named AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma).
Strong opposition
The minister, known to be close to Palaniswamy, told Scroll.in that the RK Nagar bye-election campaign was the game changer. “We saw the anger among the people directly,” he said.
The fissures in the Sasikala camp began to emerge on April 7, when the Income Tax department searched 32 locations linked to Health Minister C Vijaya Baskar, a Sasikala loyalist. Following the raids, the Dinakaran group went into a huddle. Questions were raised on why the state government’s intelligence did not warn the party of the raids. A section among them even felt the searches might have been based on information leaked by an insider.
On April 14, several leaders met Dinakaran and suggested that he resign as the general secretary to clear the way for Panneerselvam’s return. Dinakaran, however, denied that such a meeting had taken place.
“Panneerselvam feels if he returns to the party with Sasikala and Dinakaran still in their positions, his credibility will go for a toss,” said the minister, who was one of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s trusted aides.
Further, Sulur constituency MLA R Kanagaraj said the party should unite and rescue the “two leaves” symbol. He told The Times Of India on Monday that it did not matter if the chief minister was Palaniswamy or Panneerselvam.
However, an MLA close to Dinakaran said there was no challenge to Sasikala’s leadership. “All these stories are being spread by elements in the Panneerselvam gang,” the legislator charged.
The MLA said on Sunday evening that the Panneerselvam faction had spread rumours about Sasikala’s resignation. “A perception is being created that there is a revolt against Dinakaran. Those who are talking against him are a minuscule minority,” the MLA added.
There are “at least 25 MLAs” who remain loyal to Dinakaran. And any move to remove him could have serious consequences for the Palaniswamy government, he said.
Panneerselvam said on Monday he was ready for talks and dismissed suggestions that Dinakaran had the means to bring down the government. “The fact is the government will not face a no confidence motion for another four months. That is the rule,” a leader in his faction said. The Palaniswamy government faced a confidence vote in February, and as per the Tamil Nadu Assembly rules, a no-confidence motion cannot be moved against it for at least six months. This, the Panneerselvam camp feels, is enough time to earn the confidence of the legislators backing Dinakaran.
BJP’s role
In the Dinakaran camp, there is a feeling that Panneerselvam is being backed by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government as is evidenced by Income Tax searches. Several leaders are wondering if the net might be widened in the coming weeks to target all those associated with Dinakaran. The First Information Report filed against Dinakaran in Delhi on Monday is being seen as part of this strategy.
However, BJP Tamil Nadu President Tamilisai Soundararajan has consistently denied such allegations, pointing out that the party fielded a candidate for the RK Nagar bye-election and campaigned against both factions of the AIADMK.
