With the unification of the AIADMK Amma and Puratchi Thalaivi Amma factions, Ministers and other leaders left for New Delhi on Monday reportedly to withdraw the affidavits filed by rival factions before the Election Commission staking claim to represent the “real” AIADMK.
Party sources said that senior Ministers D. Jayakumar, P. Thangamani, C.Ve. Shanmugam, Rajya Sabha MP V. Maitreyan and former Rajya Sabha MP Paul Manoj Pandian left for Delhi on Monday evening. The leaders hope that withdrawing the affidavits would help them retrieve party’s election symbol ‘Two Leaves’.
Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Vellamandi N. Natarajan criticised sidelined AIADMK leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran for stripping several senior functionaries of their posts in the party. “How can he remove leaders from their posts which was given by Amma [Jayalalithaa]? ”