Dinakaran set to step back from sidelines

Officially, Dinakaran says he will announce his plan after Saturday. “I have given time until then,” he said on Tuesday. He said he wants to “strengthen” the party, elaborating that by strengthening he means uniting it. Sources said Dinakaran is expected to visit the AIADMK headquarters this week. While reminding rival factions that he is not going to be a competitor to anyone, he said he will “definitely” take charge of his role in the party in Sasikala’s absence.

Dismissing speculation that the AIADMK is eyeing to join the BJP-led NDA, he said the Palaniswami faction sidelined him “out of fear”, indicating that even the ruling camp does not want to have any truck with the BJP. A Tamil Nadu minister, who is a Sasikala loyalist, called it “maximum power abuse” by the BJP-led Central government over the last few months. “They threatened many ministers, using the Income Tax department and other central agencies, but all their efforts failed to make Panneerselvam the chief minister. Neither could they (BJP) make a toehold in Tamil Nadu politics, barring getting votes (from AIADMK) in the Presidential election,” the minister said.

The only change over the last two months, the minister said, is that Panneerselvam has softened his stand by climbing down from his demand for the CM’s post in the event of a party reunification. But even that seems to be heading nowhere. “We are demanding the party general secretary’s post now. But even that is not being agreed (to by the Palaniswami camp),” a senior leader in Panneerselvam camp said.

But a minister said the issue is not so simple. “Besides general secretary’s post for Panneerselvam, they are also demanding more ministerial berths… That is impossible,” he said. A senior AIADMK leader said, “There are at least 30 MLAs who support Dinakaran, including myself. We have two demands: we want this government to complete five years, and we do not want BJP to throw out Sasikala from our party.”