Ten days after TTV Dhinakaran stated that he is going to take the party ahead, 25 MLAs, who are supporting Dhinakaran, met Chief Minister Edapaddi Palaniswami at the secretariat on Thursday. The MLAs asked for the party matters to be handled by deputy chief secretary Dhinakaran, while the government can be looked after by Edapaddi.
The New Indian Express reported that the discussion with the chief minister went on for 30 minutes and they stressed upon Dhinakaran to return to the helm of party affairs. Moreover, they also wanted the upcoming MGR centenary celebration to be conducted under the chairmanship of Dhinakaran. They also demanded that he should be given importance during the annual Iftar party.
They stated that their decision on the ensuing presidential elections would depend on whether their demands are accepted or not.
Former ministers P Palaniappan, V Senthil Balaji, Thoppu N D Venkatachalam, and Thanga Tamilselvan (Andipatti) and P Vetrivel (Perambur), close associates of TTV among others met the CM in his chamber at the end of the assembly session, reported The Times of India.
An MLA, who was part of the meeting, told TOI that they extended their support to Palaniswami and sought his support for Dhinakaran to run the party. They also asked Palaniswami to facilitate Dhinakaran to come to the headquarters and strengthen the party.
Palaniswami had promised to consult with senior leaders and get back to them. Later, Edapaddi met the leaders for an hour-long discussion. Finance Minister D Jayakumar told the media that it was a discussion for the MGR centenary celebrations.
This meeting came on a day when Dhinakaran left for Bengaluru to meet party secretary VK Sasikala at the Parappana Agrahara prison and after the Panneerselvam faction has dissolved the merger talks panel.