Dinakaran loyalists gather at Jaya memorial after AIADMK merger, DMK ups ante
The merger of two AIADMK factions would in no way be beneficial to the people of Tamil Nadu, DMK MP and the party’s women’s wing leader Kanimozhi has said.
Within hours of two warring factions of the AIADMK coming together on Monday, fresh trouble was brewing for the ruling party in Tamil Nadu, with 18 MLAs trashing the merger and potentially putting the government at risk.
The 18 MLAs, who are close to TTV Dinakaran, the sacked deputy general secretary of the party, in the night visited the J Jayalalithaa’s memorial and “meditated” for 15 minutes and left after speaking to media.
Dinakaran would call on governor C Vidyasagar Rao on Tuesday and make the opposition of his group’s MLAs known to him, sources said.
If that happens and he manages to prevail upon the governor to call for a trust vote, chief minister Edapaddi Palanisami could struggle to cobble up the numbers.
The AIADMK has 134 MLAs in the 233-member House – a seat is lying vacant after the death of chief minister J Jayalaithaa. The majority mark is down to 117 but if the 18 MLAs break away, the government would be in danger.
The Opposition DMK has already announced it would move a no-confidence motion as “this was not a government that people had voted for”.
Its working president MK Stalin accused the Centre and the BJP of directing the actions of the AIADMK factions.
“Both the factions of AIADMK have surrendered to the BJP. Story, screenplay, direction all from Delhi. OPS and EPS are actors in this drama. Tamil Nadu is not going to gain anything from this merger,” Stalin said.
His half-sister and Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi told media that the merger was not at all in the interests of the people. “It is for their own self that these leaders have got together. It is an anti-people government,” she said.
Dinakaran is the nephew of party general secretary VK Sasikala whose ouster from AIADMK looks likely after the merger, as the faction led by O Panneerselvam wanted her out.
Earlier, TTV Dinakaran supporter and MLA Pugalendi blasted the merger and said “Palanisami should not be the chief minister for another day. Wait for our leader Dinakaran to announce who will be the next chief minister”.
Pugalendi also declared that Dinakaran was exploring legal action.