Sasikala, Dhinakaran, EPS, OPS & Delhi Police: The Tamil Nadu drama isn't over yet
NEW DELHI | CHENNAI: Twenty ministers of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government in Tamil Nadu in a joint statement have said "a committee, and not a family will henceforth run the party," showing the exit door for VK Sasikala and her family and signaling another churn in the party.
Finance minister D Jayakumar said the decision was based on views of all ministers, including the chief minister, 123 MLAs, MPs and public," but Sasikala may still enjoy the support of at least a few legislators. Cooperation minister Sellur K Raju had said earlier in the day that it was unfair to put conditions for merger talks. Sasikala has several diehard loyalists many of who have questioned the mandate of ministers taking forward the merger proposal.
On his part, Jayakumar said the party needed to work unitedly and was exploring a merger with former chief minister O Panneerselvam's camp. Panneerselvam had earlier made it clear that he would settle for nothing less than ouster of Sasikala and her nephew TTV Dhinakaran from the party.
Incidentally, the dramatic development in AIADMK followed the income tax department securing evidence against ministers and their associates and conducting over 51 searches in the last 60 days across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kolkata and Delhi. At least four ministers are suspected to be involved in illegal cash transactions, following the demonetisation drive. The income-tax department has searched residences and business establishments of Sekhar Reddy, Ilangovan and Chandrakant Ramalingam in Chennai, Bangalore and Erode. A total of Rs 152 crore of demonetised cash were seized in the searches.
Two top bureaucrats were arrested in Bangalore on charges of road projects that allegedly showed the nexus of TN ministers with contractors. This was followed by searches in Kolkata, Chennai including in houses of associates and relatives of chief minister Edapady Palaniswami who is part of the Sasikala faction. Talks of merger between the warring factions represented by E Palanisamy and O Panneerselvam had started as more evidence against ministers started coming out.
"The evidence obtained from health minister Vijaya Bhaskar's associates and cases mounting against AIADMK (Amma) leader and Sasikala's nephew Dhinakaran — Fera, cash for votes and attempt to bribe EC — make his arrest inevitable. We already have a rough estimate on the extent of income and properties," a top government official said.
Delhi Police insiders said a team from its crime branch would soon reach Chennai to look at the Dhinakaran case. "It is wrong news that we have cancelled our trip. It was anyway slated for Thursday as we are busy collecting local evidence, including property and call records details. We already have evidence against Dhinakaran in the form of call records made to middle men," a senior Delhi Police officer said. According to top government insiders, a team of over 500 I-T sleuths and police personnel searched premises in Bengaluru, Chennai and Erode last December.
The names of four ministers in the Palaniswami cabinet figure in the documents and dairies seized. "Several new notes are learnt to have been obtained by exchange of demonetised notes by payment of commission. Many ministers have been found to have more than ten PAs, each collecting money for appointments and transfers, which are being looked into," an investigation official said.
According to AIADMK insiders, the scheduled meeting between Sasikala and her nephew Dhinakaran didn't happen on Tuesday. There is speculation that aunt and nephew are not in the best of terms. Dhinakaran's decision not to use Sasikala's pictures in party material after she was jailed has apparently not gone down well with her. Party insiders said the death of another nephew of Sasikala, Mahadevan, while he was on a pilgrimage to a temple a few days ago, has rattled the family pretty much.
Finance minister D Jayakumar said the decision was based on views of all ministers, including the chief minister, 123 MLAs, MPs and public," but Sasikala may still enjoy the support of at least a few legislators. Cooperation minister Sellur K Raju had said earlier in the day that it was unfair to put conditions for merger talks. Sasikala has several diehard loyalists many of who have questioned the mandate of ministers taking forward the merger proposal.
On his part, Jayakumar said the party needed to work unitedly and was exploring a merger with former chief minister O Panneerselvam's camp. Panneerselvam had earlier made it clear that he would settle for nothing less than ouster of Sasikala and her nephew TTV Dhinakaran from the party.
Incidentally, the dramatic development in AIADMK followed the income tax department securing evidence against ministers and their associates and conducting over 51 searches in the last 60 days across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kolkata and Delhi. At least four ministers are suspected to be involved in illegal cash transactions, following the demonetisation drive. The income-tax department has searched residences and business establishments of Sekhar Reddy, Ilangovan and Chandrakant Ramalingam in Chennai, Bangalore and Erode. A total of Rs 152 crore of demonetised cash were seized in the searches.
Two top bureaucrats were arrested in Bangalore on charges of road projects that allegedly showed the nexus of TN ministers with contractors. This was followed by searches in Kolkata, Chennai including in houses of associates and relatives of chief minister Edapady Palaniswami who is part of the Sasikala faction. Talks of merger between the warring factions represented by E Palanisamy and O Panneerselvam had started as more evidence against ministers started coming out.
"The evidence obtained from health minister Vijaya Bhaskar's associates and cases mounting against AIADMK (Amma) leader and Sasikala's nephew Dhinakaran — Fera, cash for votes and attempt to bribe EC — make his arrest inevitable. We already have a rough estimate on the extent of income and properties," a top government official said.
Delhi Police insiders said a team from its crime branch would soon reach Chennai to look at the Dhinakaran case. "It is wrong news that we have cancelled our trip. It was anyway slated for Thursday as we are busy collecting local evidence, including property and call records details. We already have evidence against Dhinakaran in the form of call records made to middle men," a senior Delhi Police officer said. According to top government insiders, a team of over 500 I-T sleuths and police personnel searched premises in Bengaluru, Chennai and Erode last December.
The names of four ministers in the Palaniswami cabinet figure in the documents and dairies seized. "Several new notes are learnt to have been obtained by exchange of demonetised notes by payment of commission. Many ministers have been found to have more than ten PAs, each collecting money for appointments and transfers, which are being looked into," an investigation official said.
According to AIADMK insiders, the scheduled meeting between Sasikala and her nephew Dhinakaran didn't happen on Tuesday. There is speculation that aunt and nephew are not in the best of terms. Dhinakaran's decision not to use Sasikala's pictures in party material after she was jailed has apparently not gone down well with her. Party insiders said the death of another nephew of Sasikala, Mahadevan, while he was on a pilgrimage to a temple a few days ago, has rattled the family pretty much.
