AIADMK power tussle is costing people of Tamil Nadu: BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) on Thursday said that the power tussle going on in the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhaga (AIADMK) party is costing the people of Tamil Nadu, adding that even late chief minister J. Jayalalithaa would not have wanted this to happen.

"Clearly this is an internal matter for the AIADMK and this kind feud causes lots of inconvenience to the people of Tamil Nadu and surely Jayalalithaa Ji would not have wanted that and she always wanted the stable government as that was always in her vision plan," BJP leader Shaina N.C. told ANI.

Political drama in Tamil Nadu continued on Wednesday as its outgoing chief minister O. Panneerselvam staged a midnight rebellion while Governor C Vidyasagar Rao was said to be heading to Chennai to - potentially - swear in his successor.

Panneerselvam refused to give way to his anointed successor, hours after warning that he may revoke his resignation if there was enough support for him to stay.

Panneerselvam took over as the chief minister after Jayalalithaa's death in December but, on Sunday, the ruling AIADMK party unexpectedly announced that he had resigned and that Jaya's former aide, VK Sasikala, would take over.

But just days later, Panneerselvam told journalists he would not stand down, insisting that he was 'forced' into the move but still had grassroots support in the party that Sasikala heads - raising the prospect of a split in the AIADMK.

'I will prove the majority at the state assembly floor. I am discharging my duty as the chief minister now, as per the wish of the party workers and common people,' he told reporters.