High drama prevailed in the ruling AIADMK "Amma" camp led by Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday with the party announcing that the appointment of TTV Dhinakaran as party deputy general secretary was null and void.
A resolution was adopted in this regard at a meeting chaired by Palaniswami at AIADMK headquarters in Chennai in which 27 senior leaders and ministers participated and signed the paper.
Reacting to decision to side-line him from the party, Dhinakaran contended that he was duly appointed by party general secretary VK Sasikala and he still has the rights to appoint or remove office bearers from the party.
"They did a great mistake. It is illegal and against the law. I still hold the post, which was duly appointed by general secretary", Dhinakaran said.
"I started to work for the party. The resolution cannot stop me", he said adding that he has all the rights to expel or appoint anyone in the party. "I can take action for anti-party activities", Dhinakaran said and hinted that action would be soon taken against the resolution.
The resolution said Dhinakaran's appointment as deputy general secretary is illegal as per the party rules. "He cannot hold the post since he was not party member for continues five years", the AIADMK said.
The AIADMK also said that Dhinakaran was creating confusion by appointing several party office bearers. "Therefore, Dhinakaran's announcement to appoint office bearer also invalid", it said.
The resolution pointed out that even Election Commission of India (EC) did not recognise Dhinakaran's post.
With regard to Sasikala, the AIADMK said she is not in a position to carry out her duties now and there are several cases against her appointment as the general secretary.
Virtually side-lining both Sasikala and Dhinakaran from the party, the resolution said the party could not see any one other than Jayalalithaa as the general secretary.
Hinting of a merger of the two warring factions, the resolution referred to the famous proverb that ''unity is strength''
The decision of AIADMK to shut the doors on Dhinakaran assumes significance since the move makes a step closer to the merger of the two warring factions.
The rebel group led by former Tamil Nadu chief minister O Panneerselvam main demand for the merger was to keep away jailed VK Sasikala and her nephew Dhinakaran clan from the party affairs.
Reacting to the developments, Panneerselvam's faction said the merger is possible unless another demand such as CBI probe into the "mysterious" death of Jayalalithaa is initiated.
Published 10 August 2017, 08:10 IST