Independent MLA from R K Nagar TTV Dinakaran/ (Express Photo/Tashi Tobgyal/File)
Tamil Nadu MLA TTV Dinakaran, who was earlier an AIADMK leader, alleged Friday that Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam met him in July 2017 and “confessed” that joining hands with Chief Minister Edapaddi K Palaniswamy was wrong, and that he wished to become the chief minister. According to news agency PTI, OPS wanted to meet again in September to “oust” Palaniswami.
Dinakaran added there was evidence to prove that their meeting was held. “He (Panneerselvam) wanted to meet me to oust the chief minister,” Dinakaran was quoted as saying by PTI. His comments come a day after OPS reportedly told the media that he would support EPS to protect the government.
AIADMK, meanwhile, says Dinakaran was trying to “fish in troubled waters.” AIADMK spokesperson R M Babu Murugavel was quoted as saying by PTI, “Dinakaran is trying to fish in troubled waters. He and his aides will say anything to stay relevant. He is perhaps doing this to keep his flock together in the context of the case regarding disqualification of 18 AIADMK MLAs.”
After former CM and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa’s death in December 2016, multiple factions of the party emerged. Dinakaran was expelled from the party after two factions, led by Palaniswami and Panneerselvam, agreed on a merger under the condition that Palaniswami becomes CM and Panneerselam deputy CM. Pannerselvam had become interim CM after Jayalalithaa’s death.
Dinakaran later formed his own party, Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (Amma People’s Progress Front). He contested the RK Nagar bypoll last December as an Independent and won with a huge margin, defeating the ruling AIADMK party as well as opposition DMK. The bypoll was necessitated after the death of Jayalalithaa.