BJP should stop dreaming about capturing TN: AIADMK

Validating Tamil Nadu's Dravidian roots, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) asserted that Tamil Nadu would be governed only by Dravidian parties owing to decades of governance by the latter.

Speaking to ANI here on Sunday, AIADMK leader and spokesperson of the O. Panneerselvam (OPS) faction Azhagu Tamil Selvi claimed that it is time the opposition, particularly the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stopped 'dreaming about capturing Tamil Nadu.'

"Tamil Nadu has been ruled by Dravidian parties for decades and will continue in the same way. I request the BJP to stop dreaming or imagining about capturing Tamil Nadu," she said, adding that the opposition was "commenting on grounds of greediness and jealousy."

In the wake of the ongoing merger talks between the OPS faction and that of Chief Minister E. Palanisamy (EPS), Selvi asserted that the infamous 'Mannargudi mafia' family, including the likes of AIADMK's former general secretary V.K. Sasikala and her nephew T.T.V. Dinakaran, needed to be completely disassociated with the party henceforth.

"We want Sasikala and the rest of the Mannargudi family to be out of the party. Their affidavits need to be withdrawn from the Election Commission," she said.

Selvi further stressed on the need for a probe into late chief minister J. Jayalalithaa's 'mysterious' death, since the party had several queries regarding the same.

Meanwhile, the first round of merger talks are likely to take place this week, with the two factions looking to merge and bring stability to the state government.

Talks for a merger between the OPS and the EPS camps gained ground after an FIR was registered against AIADMK deputy general secretary T.T.V. Dinakaran for bribing Election Commission officials for staking claim of the 'Two Leaves' symbol of the party.