OPS, TTV announce to work together

Chennai: Former foes O Panneerselvam and TTV Dhinakaran turned friends on Monday night, brought together by the common factor that they both have been ousted from the AIADMK.

Both the former AIADMK leaders came out of the meeting from TTV’s residence in Chennai, held a joint press conference, joined hands and announced their decision to work together.

Panruti Ramachandran, a veteran of the AIADMK who was also expelled for siding with Panneerselvam (OPS), told reporters that they have decided a “working arrangement” like the CPI and CPI (M).

This comes months after Panneerselvam (OPS) has been saying that the AIADMK has to be united after its current general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) had expelled him last July. TTV was ousted in 2017 along with his aunt and another former AIADMK leader V K Sasikala on the insistence of OPS to join hands then with EPS.

But things have drastically changed in Tamil Nadu’s main opposition party. On the one side there is EPS-led AIADMK and against him are the trio of OPS, TTV and Sasikala. While TTV heads a breakaway faction, Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK), since 2018, OPS has three MLAs who support him and Sasikala hopes to reclaim her position and control, but in vain. Both OPS and TTV said that they do not want to speak of the past and cause further splits.

TTV said that this arrangement will not affect his five-year-old party. “Amma’s (J Jayalalithaa’s) party has been hijacked by those with money and muscle power. Me and OPS want to reclaim it.” said TTV. “My cadres have been asking me for seven months when I’m going to meet OPS. We both do not have any vengeance against each other. We were separated due to a few reasons. We have not united today out of self-interest.”

OPS said he wanted to meet Sasikala too. “But she is not in the city. She has said that we would definitely meet on her return,” OPS said. “As a first step towards reclaiming our party we have met today. Our aim is to unite our cadre and bring back the glory of the AIADMK.” OPS also issued a reminder that his legal case against the party’s general council meeting last July which abolished the dual leadership (OPS as coordinator and EPS as joint-coordinator) and expelled him and elected EPS is not fully over.

EPS has said that he is ready to welcome anyone who has left the party except the trio. This also comes at a time when the BJP and AIADMK have firmed up the continuation of their alliance for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.