TTV Dhinakaran breathes fire, Team EPS takes up challenge

Chennai: ‘Expelled’ AIADMK deputy general secretary TTV Dhinakaran on Saturday harped on his ‘sleeper cells’ in the ruling party and insisted these MLAs would come out in his support ‘at the right time’ even as the tally of his legislators now went up from 19 to 21. “More are on their way”, he told reporters at Chennai and repeated the assertion later at Tiruppur. 

While expressing confidence that Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao would take the ‘right’ decision on the individual letters given by his 19 MLAs informing him that CM Edappadi K. Palaiswami had lost their confidence and he should be replaced, TTV said, “These legislators are fighting for the protection of the party as well as the government. I am fighting along with them”.

While CM Palaniswami and his deputy O. Panneerselvam are themselves refraining from responding to the TTV broadside, two MPs from the ruling party have come out with their guns blasting at the ‘Family’.

While CM Palaniswami and his deputy O. Panneerselvam are themselves refraining from responding to the TTV broadside, two MPs from the ruling party have come out with their guns blasting at the ‘Family’. “TTV is a blackmail party. He does not have much support. He can do nothing to hurt our government”, said Tiruchi MP P. Kumar.

Cuddalore MP Arunmozhithevan sat along with three party legislators from the district to address a crowded press conference at hometown and allege that “political brokers” from TTV were trying to lure party MLAs with offers of money, cabinet posts or party positions. “None of us will go to him; on the other hand, those with him now will soon realise their folly and come back to the mother camp for strengthening the party and the government of  Amma ”, said Thevan.

“Who’s TTV to order these appointments and expulsions in our party? He’s been expelled by Amma long ago. He can launch his own party now and make all the appointments and expulsions he desires”, he said, while lambasting Dhivakaran for proposing Assembly Speaker P. Dhanapal for the CM’s post replacing EPS. “They are playing the dangerous game of caste politics, which Amma had always shunned”, Thevan said.

Daring TTV to carry out a public survey on Sasikala’s public acceptance as leader, he said, “Even TTV knows she does not have people’s support as he himself kept her pictures out of his campaign posters during the RK Nagar by-election”.