AIADMK Leader Dismisses Demand to Readmit TTV Dinakaran at Chennai Party Meeting

During a party review meeting at the AIADMK party headquarters in Chennai on Monday, General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami dismissed a demand to readmit AMMK founder T T V Dinakaran into the party. The demand was raised by an office-bearer from Thanjavur, a delta district, during the proceedings.

The proposal to bring back Dinakaran and his aunt, V K Sasikala, who was a confidante of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, has resurfaced despite Palaniswami previously ruling out the possibility with the concurrence of the party's top brass.

Palaniswami dismissed the office-bearer's demand with a polite reply, noting that Dinakaran was already heading a party of his own, and proceeded with the rest of the meeting. However, the revival of the demand is being viewed by party insiders as a direct threat to the current leadership.

The demand comes at a time when the AIADMK is facing an internal crisis, marked by a series of defections of elected MLAs and ordinary members to the ruling TVK. Insiders suggest that some top leaders, who are reportedly waiting for the right moment to join the TVK, are actively opposing Palaniswami's leadership.

By raising the issue of readmitting Sasikala and her family members, a section of the party is sending a message to members that they believe this family alone can steer the AIADMK out of its current crisis. Recently, another party functionary also mentioned Sasikala's name during a separate party deliberation.

Some insiders within the AIADMK feel that the media coverage of this demand points to a conspiracy, as the review meeting proceedings were closed to the press.

Palaniswami is holding these review meetings as a forerunner to an upcoming executive meeting and a potential general body meeting. These steps are aimed at consolidating his position within the party amid the ongoing defections.