Tamil Nadu cabinet revolts; dumps Sasikala, Dinakaran

Tamil Nadu Finance Minister D Jayakumar on Tuesday announced that a section of ministers had decided to keep AIADMK’s jailed General Secretary V K Sasikala and Deputy General Secretary T T V Dinakaran and their families out of the party.

Emerging from a “consultative” meeting chaired by Chief Minister E K Palaniswami, Jayakumar declared that the “unanimous” decision was taken in tune with the aspirations of the party cadres and people. “We will run the party and the government,” he said. “We want to save the party and the government from the clutches of one family.”

He said it was the desire of all party cadres, top functionaries, district secretaries, MPs, MLAs, and the ministers. A committee will be formed soon to run the day-to-day affairs of the party, he added.

Sasikala faction’s legislator Vetrivel told a television channel that Jayakumar did not have authority to make such an announcement.

Sources said till now 20 ministers had decided to stay away from Sasikala and Dinakaran. Whether they would join the O Panneerselvam camp was yet to be known.

Dinakaran, who was expelled from the AIADMK by Jayalalithaa, was reinducted by Sasikala and appointed the party’s deputy general secretary just before she proceeded to Bengaluru to serve the remnant of her jail term after the Supreme Court upheld her conviction and sentence in a disproportionate assets case in February.

Replying to a question, Jayakumar, however, said the decision was not linked to the demand of rebel leader Panneerselvam that Sasikala and her nephew Dinakaran be kept away as a pre-condition for talks for merger of the rival factions.

Jayakumar, flanked by several ministers, said that they were prepared to hold talks with Panneerselvam. Senior ministers, including Dindigul C Srinivasan, S P Velumani, R B Udayakumar, Thangamani, C Ve Shanmugam were present. 

The sudden announcement by Jayakumar came after efforts for the merger hit a hurdle with Panneerselvam insisting on his demand for the ouster of Sasikala, Dinakaran and their family from the party and the government.

With inputs from PTI