Chennai, June 16: More than 30 AIADMK legislators have threatened to boycott the presidential elections if the Tamil Nadu government is not run as per the "guidance" of T.T.V. Dinakaran, the nephew of jailed party chief V.K. Sasikala, the latest in a series of skirmishes that have buffeted the party.
The MLAs, including Thanga Thamizhselvan, Vetrivel, Balasubramani and Parthiaban, met chief minister E.K. Palanisamy at the state secretariat in Chennai yesterday and demanded that he "comply with the agreement forged" before he was elected leader of the legislature party and "listen to the advice and guidance" of Dinakaran in running the government and the AIADMK.
The "agreement" was reached at the seaside resort near Chennai where MLAs belonging to the Sasikala camp of the AIADMK had been kept to prevent poaching before the trust vote to elect the chief minister.
Sources said the 30-odd MLAs made it clear that Sasikala and Dinakaran should run the party. They also said that the centenary celebrations of party founder M.G. Ramachandran at Madurai should be conducted under the leadership of Dinakaran.
The MLAs are believed to have told Palanisamy that if invited, Sasikala would seek parole to attend the celebrations.
The AIADMK got split into two factions - one led by Sasikala and the other by deposed chief minister O. Panneerselvam - after the death of J. Jayalalithaa last December and the Panneerselvam faction has demanded the ouster of Dinakaran and Sasikala from party posts as a prerequisite for a merger.
According to party sources, in the current troubled situation both the factions would like to maintain "cordial" relations with the BJP and support its candidate for the presidential polls.
The BJP has been in constant touch with both the factions as it is said to need the support of at least two "friendly parties" to get its candidate elected. If the MLAs make good their threat of boycotting the elections, it could strain the AIADMK's relations with the BJP.
Dinakaran had been arrested by Delhi police for allegedly trying to bribe an Election Commission official to get the two-leaves symbol of the AIADMK for his faction for election to the seat Jayalalithaa represented. He is out on bail after spending a month in custody.
Last week, most Tamil Nadu ministers met at the secretariat and decided that Dinakaran would not be allowed to interfere in the affairs of the party and the government. The move was questioned by Dinakaran and MLAs loyal to him. Almost every day since then, MLAs have been calling on Dinakaran at his residence.
The MLAs who met Palanisamy yesterday told Palanisamy that Dinakaran commanded the support of 50 MLAs as well as a number of former ministers.
The MLAs "made it amply clear" that they might be forced to boycott the presidential polls next month if their demands were not accepted.
The sources said Palanisamy tried to pacify them and told them that accepting Sasikala, in jail in connection with a disproportionate assets case, and Dinakaran as the leaders of the party would lead to another upheaval in the AIADMK and many MLAs could switch to Panneerselvam's camp. However, the MLAs were not convinced and stuck to their stand, the sources said.
The AIADMK has a total strength of 135 in the 234-member Assembly. The faction headed by Sasikala has 122 MLAs, excluding the Speaker, while the Panneerselvam camp has 12. The Sasikala group has just four MLAs more than the majority mark.
Ambur MLA Balasubramani, one of those who met the chief minister, told the media that the decision on which presidential candidate the AIADMK would support should be taken by party general secretary Sasikala and deputy general secretary Dinakaran.
Thamizhselvan, another of the 30-odd MLAs, said a "mammoth" meeting would be organised in his constituency, Theni, soon in which Dinakaran would participate. Thamizhselvan said Dinakaran alone would be able to "save the party". He added that "action" would be taken against a section of ministers for "anti-Dinakaran activities".
Talks between the Sasikala and Panneerselvam factions for the "re-unification" of the AIADMK have failed to take off so far with the Panneerselvam group sticking to its stand of keeping the "Mannargudi mafia" (the Sasikala family) away from the party's affairs.
Jaya bills
The AIADMK has borne the entire cost - Rs 6 crore - of Jayalalithaa's treatment. The then chief minister had received treatment in hospital for 75 days before her death.
According to party spokesperson Vaigaiselvan, although the hospital bills of a chief minister is usually paid by the government, the party has decided not to burden it and so handed over a cheque to the hospital.
