As convicted AIADMK general secretary V K Sasikala surrendered in a Bengaluru court Wednesday to serve the remainder of a four-year jail term in a disproportionate assets case, the political drama in Chennai shifted to Raj Bhavan where her nominee Edappadi Palanisamy and rival O Panneerselvam again called on Governor C Vidyasagar Rao to claim majority support of MLAs for government formation.
With no word from Raj Bhavan on what the Governor intends to do — legal experts have advised him to consider, among other options, convening a special session of the assembly within a week for a floor test — charges flew thick and fast between the warring AIADMK factions.
Late Wednesday, AIADMK spokesperson Nanjil Sampath called the delay “an injustice to democracy”.
“We had to remind the Governor again today. We wrote a reminder letter. Our team of Palanisamy and nine members, representing 124 MLAs, was allowed only five minutes to meet the Governor but Panneerselvam with hardly 10 MLAs was granted 30 minutes with the Governor,” he said.
While the Panneerselvam camp alleged that the MLAs were being held hostage at a resort outside Chennai, Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar, who accompanied Palanisamy to Raj Bhavan, claimed the group had the support of 124 MLAs.
“We have given the Governor a list of legislators supporting our legislature party leader Palanisamy. Governor told us that our representation will be considered and we are confident that democracy will be protected,” Jayakumar told reporters after the meeting.
Earlier in the day, Sasikala, after being denied more time by the Supreme Court to turn herself in, made one final move before exiting Chennai — she reinducted her nephew T T V Dinakaran and Dr Venkatesh, son of her brother Sundaravadanam, into the party fold, five years after their expulsion by the late J Jayalalithaa.
Appointing Dinakaran the deputy general secretary of the AIADMK, she said in a statement: “Dinakaran and Venkatesh are allowed to join the party after they expressed regret for their acts in person and through letter and requested that they be allowed to join the party (again).”
Many saw this an attempt to hand over the party’s control to Dinakaran till her return from jail. Furious over the appointment, senior leader V Karuppasamy Pandian resigned as the party’s organisation secretary. Questioning Sasikala’s authority of reinducting people expelled by Jayalalithaa, Pandian asked if AIADMK was her “family property”.
Dinakaran, who visited the Golden Bay Resorts in Kuvathur to hold discussions with the MLAs camped there, said the group was waiting for the invitation from Raj Bhawan to form the government. Sources in the Sasikala camp said they can do little at this stage except remind the Governor.
No MLA from the Sasikala camp switched loyalties to the Panneerselvam group Wednesday. In fact, many of them were allowed to give statements to the media that they had not been coerced into staying at the resort.
Based on an “abduction” complaint from Madurai MLA S S Saravanan, who left the resort late Monday evening to join Panneerselvam, police turned up at the resort Wednesday afternoon to inquire from the MLAs. Two officers, accompanied by two camerapersons, recorded video and audio statements of 20 MLAs.
“One of the MLAs who later joined the Panneerselvam camp had played cricket at the resort campus with the other MLAs before he left. Another MLA had played cards with his colleagues the previous night. Even after we offered them security, not one was ready to come out (of the resort),” a senior officer said.
Meanwhile, as Sasikala prepared to travel to Bengaluru, Kuvathur police registered a criminal case against Sasikala and her close associates based on Saravanan’s complaint.
Courtesy : indianexpress
