Tamil Nadu: Dhinakaran insists he remains in command
He was flanked by his supporters, including 11 of the 17 legislators supporting him.
Thanjavur: Reiterating that the resolution annulling his appointment as party deputy general secretary was invalid, T.T.V. Dhinakaran on Friday insisted that those signed it would lose their posts and positions, including the Chief Minister, “if they choose to present that resolution to the Election Commission”.
“They committed forgery, a 420 (cheating) act because they used the letter pad of AIADMK party whereas we are now known as the AIADMK (Amma). They will all lose their posts and positions, including the CM”, he told reporters here, repeating his Thursday assertion. He refused to comment on reports of merger of the AIADMK factions saying he “shall not respond to mere speculations”.
Threatening he would crack the whip against the challengers, TTV said, “In my resolve to preserve the AIADMK for posterity, I shall perform the surgery on whoever needs it (challengers) taking them to the nearest hospital”.
He was flanked by his supporters, including 11 of the 17 legislators supporting him. Of the total 122 AIADMK legislators, 94 have pledged loyalty to Chief Minister E. Palaniswami while 11 are in the rival O Panneerselvam camp. This arithmetic does not include Speaker P. Dhanapal, an EPS man.
As the DMK has 89 MLAs in the House of 233 (excluding Jayalalithaa's seat), there has been hot speculation that its working president M. K. Stalin might 'inspire' divisions within the ruling party that is already split into three groups if only to capture power either by toppling Edappadi Palaniswami or forcing by-elections. However, Stalin has been steering clear of such moves, insisting that the government would collapse by its own post-Jaya problems.
He brought no-confidence motions twice-first against the government in February this year and again in July against Speaker Dhanapal.
“If necessary, we will move no-confidence motion again”, Stalin told reporters at Chennai on Friday, when asked if the DMK would take advantage of the new tremors in the AIADMK following the resolution dethroning TTV from the post of deputy general secretary and his angry revolt.
Backing that revolt, former minister Senthil Balaji in Thanjavur demanded the resignation of Palaniswami for anchoring the anti-TTV resolution.
“He was chosen as CM only by Sasikala and Dhinakaran. Let him resign if he has the guts and face a meeting of the party MLAs to get re-elected as CM”, he told reporters outside TTV's house on Friday.