People have ignored T T V Dhinakaran who betrayed us: AIADMK leaders

Chennai: The AIADMK may have seen a reversal of its electoral fortunes with the party getting bulldozed by the DMK in the just concluded Lok Sabha elections, but it draws a consolation that its rival T. T. V. Dhinakaran whom the party accused of betrayal has been rejected by the people.

 The AIADMK leaders said people have “ignored” those who “betrayed” their party, apparently referring to Dhinakaran’s Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK). Dhinakaran had fielded candidates from all the Lok Sabha constituencies, besides by-polls to all 22 Assembly seats. But, it lost dismally in the simultaneous elections. This prompted Dhinakaran to blame the Election Commission for his party polling nil votes in atleast 300 polling stations.

 AIADMK coordinator and Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam and joint coordinator and Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami reacting to the defeat of the AMMK, said the AIADMK’s victory in the Lok Sabha elections from Theni will help the party to raise its voice in the lower House of Parliament.

 Meanwhile, the AIADMK organ “Namadhu Puratchi Thalaivi Amma,” in an article sarcastically said though Dhinakaran’s nominees lost their deposits in the polls, their boastful claims have not stopped. The article flayed Dhinakaran for boasting and all along, claiming that 1.5 crore party workers were on his side and that AMMK candidates would post impressive victories at the hustings.

 Listing out the names of leaders who unsuccessfully tried to challenge AIADMK in the past, including veteran leader R. M. Veerappan, the daily said "the AMMK has also been decimated" in a similar fashion.

 It further said Dhinakaran and the AMMK should understand that they can neither pose a challenge to the AIADMK nor lead the party that was nurtured by stalwarts, founder M. G. Ramachandran and former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.