Chennai: Former chief minister and ousted All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader O. Panneerselvam and former AIADMK MP and chief of Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) T.T.V. Dhinakaran have put their past animosity aside and reunited. The two met at Dhinakaran’s residence in Adyar Monday to announce their union against the “evil force” Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and “betrayers” in the AIADMK.
After the meeting, Dhinakaran told media persons, “We want to retrieve the AIADMK from the betrayer, who hijacked the party by unleashing money power, and defeat the evil force DMK. So, myself and brother OPS will work together to achieve our goal.”
OPS’ supporter and former minister Panruti S. Ramachandran, who was present during the meeting, said that the two will function like CPI and CPM with a common goal.
After he was asked to step down from the CM’s post in February 2017, OPS started his ‘dharmayudham’ (war of principles). At AIADMK supremo J. Jayalalithaa’s memorial, he had demanded that her close aide and former general secretary V.K. Sasikala and her nephew T.T.V. Dhinakaran — infamously referred to as the ‘Mannargudi family’ — be removed from the party.
In August 2017, months after Sasikala was arrested in the disproportionate assets case, then CM Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) had kicked her and Dhinakaran out of the party and joined hands with OPS.
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OPS & Sasikala
On Monday, OPS — who had held a conference for his supporters in Tiruchirappalli back in April — stated that the party’s cadres have been urging for a unified AIADMK. Meanwhile, Dhinakaran emphasised that their alliance was not driven by any selfish motives but to return the AIADMK to “the loyal party cadre, who are followers of Amma.”
OPS also said that he wanted to meet Sasikala but since she was out of town, the two would meet on her return to Chennai.
Both OPS and Sasikala have separate lawsuits underway, with both claiming to be the heir of the AIADMK. The Supreme Court in February this year had upheld a 2022 order of a division bench of Madras High Court, allowing former chief minister EPS to continue as interim general secretary of AIADMK.
On 27 April, EPS and his supporters had announced that anyone was welcome to join the party except for OPS, Dhinakaran and Sasikala, and even referred to OPS as the ruling DMK’s ‘B-team’.
OPS had met DMK leader V. Sabareesan, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s son-in-law, on 6 May, but speaking to reporters Monday, he dismissed the meeting as a courtesy call and said there was nothing political about it.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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