Palanisamy holds meeting with Dinakaran loyalists

MLAs, including Senthil Balaji, met Palanisamy at the Secretariat. Later in the evening, Palanisamy convened a meeting in which Ministers including D Jayakumar, district secretaries and other party functionaries participated. 

An AIADMK(Amma) party release said the meeting chaired by Palanisamy at party headquarters here deliberated on grand celebrations of the centenary of party founder and late Chief Minister M G Ramachandran. Emerging out of the meeting, Jayakumar told reporters that the “review meet deliberated on celebration of MGR’s centenary in a grand and not seen before manner across Tamil Nadu.” 

While the EPS camp had reiterated recently that Dinakaran should continue to keep away from party affairs, the supporters of the party deputy chief had opposed it. 

Dinakaran, who is now reportedly in Bengaluru, had recently said that jailed leader V K Sasikala had given 60-day time so that rival factions could unite. He had said that if the merger did not fructify, she had briefed him on what needs to be done. 

Meanwhile, in New Delhi, the O Panneerselvam group submitted two vehicles full of affidavits to the Election Commission in support of its claim over the party symbol. 

 The VK Sasikala faction, a few days ago, had brought four truckloads of documents to the Commission staking its claim over the party. With just a few more days left for the poll panel’s deadline for submitting details about AIADMK’s ‘Two Leaves’ symbol, both Sasikala and OPS factions have been filing affidavits in large numbers.  

The OPS camp claimed to have brought 1.8 lakh affidavits in support of his faction. “Just like people chose Jayalalithaa to be the chief minister after the death of (former CM) MGR, people have accepted O Panneerselvam as the political heir of Amma (Jayalalithaa),” said former minister KP Munusamy.  The OPS team disapproved claims of Deepa Jayakumar, saying she was not even a member of the party.

MAD Peravai functionaries Pasumpon Pandian and former MLA Saraswathy have requested the Election Commission for additional time to submit documents to prove that the rank and file of the AIADMK are with them.

However, there was no comment from officials on their request, sources added. It may be recalled that both went to New Delhi to meet EC officials as there was no response to their missives in this regard. The issue attains importance with the June 16 deadline for all AIADMK factions to submit documents in support of their demand for the party’s two leaves symbol which will give them a total hold over the party. 

With both AIADMK(A) and AIADMK(PTA) submitting which run into lakhs, the peravai got off to a late start and submitted their first batch of 25,000 affidavits on Thursday, when its representatives met officials concerned in the election commission. 

AIADMK(PTA) supporter and MP V Maitreyan created a flutter when he sat in dharna outside the commission office on Thursday morning as his vehicle was not allowed inside the EC premises in New Delhi. He was later appeased by the EC officials. 

Meanwhile, AIADMK(A) deputy general secretary TTV Dinakaran’s sudden visit to Parappana Agrahara Central Prison has raised hopes among his supporters that he might come back with the intention of taking over the reins of the party. A section of his supporters revealed that they wanted him to run the party and EPS the government.