Those following Dhinakaran will be dumped midway, says EPS

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami on Tuesday (February 10) took a swipe at Sasikala’s nephew and AMMK leader Dhinakaran, saying those who go behind him will be abandoned midway.

He cited the example of the 18 AIADMK MLAs who were disqualified after rebelling against his government in 2017 and siding with Dhinakaran.

“Today, some are trying to cause hindrance to AIADMK. TTV Dhinakaran, who was not in AIADMK for 10 years, self-proclaimed himself as party leader and tried several times to capture the party. He took 17 MLAs from us and abandoned them in the middle of the road. Anyone who goes behind him will end up abandoned midway,” the chief minister said.

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“Some are trying various things to cause hindrance to the party and cause advantage to DMK. I assure you that our party will defeat all such moves,” he said.

EPS said although Dhinakaran in 2011 was expelled by then AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa, he tried to wrest control of the party after the leader’s death in 2016.

EPS’s dig comes a day after Dhinakaran asserted that Sasikala, who was expelled from the AIADMK, would move court to re-gain her control over the party. The AMMK leader had also added on Wednesday that efforts are underway to “retrieve” the ruling party, especially after the return of Sasikala from jail. A former aide of Jayalalithaa, Sasikala was recently released from jail after serving four years’ imprisonment in the ₹66.65 crore disproportionate assets case.

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