OPS-TTV merger will not harm AIADMK: Jayakumar

CHENNAI: Senior AIADMK leader D Jayakumar ridiculed deposed AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam and AMMK leader TTV Dhinakaran meeting on Monday and said their union would not have any impact on the AIADMK party.

Former minister Jayakumar, while talking to reporters on Tuesday, said OPS was the perfect example for the epitome of political opportunism. He called VK Sasikala and her extended family as “Mannargudi mafia” gang. “He launched Dharmayudham against Sasikala, Dhinakaran and their family. He was very critical of them and said they have plundered the state. He called Dhinakaran the worst criminal and political merchant. OPS also stated the Sasikala family was responsible for the death of Amma (J Jayalalithaa),” he said.

He continued in the same vein and said when OPS merged his faction with the AIADMK led by Edappadi K Palaniswami (December 2017), he demanded for a probe into the death of late party supremo Jayalalithaa. OPS volte-faced on the issue when he appeared before the Arumugasamy Commission and said he had no suspicion on Jayalalithaa’s death.

“OPS is a pure political opportunist and betrayer. He, in fact, met Dhinakaran when he was part of the AIADMK regime. Now, they have joined hands together and it will not have any impact on our party,” he said and categorically rejected the possibility of taking back the trio - Sasikala, her nephew Dhinakaran and OPS –back into the party.

He responded negatively when reporters questioned whether AIADMK would accommodate them if they entered into an alliance with the BJP.