AIADMK factions brought together by ‘two-leaves’ symbol -Governance Now

AIADMK factions brought together by ‘two-leaves’ symbol

Considerable uncertainty in Tamil Nadu politics as Sasikala and Dhinakaran expelled from party

Shivani Chaturvedi | April 19, 2017 | Chennai

#two-leaves symbol #Sasikala #Dhinakaran #Panneerselvam #AIADMK #election commission

The “two-leaves” symbol, which has been frozen by the election commission, seem to have brought together the warring factions of the AIADMK. Both factions are keen to get the symbol, for which they are willing to bury the hatchet.

Symbol plays a major role. More so, when it was made the part of Tamil culture by MGR and Jayalalithaa, says a political observer.

There is considerable uncertainty in Tamil Nadu politics as the ruling AIADMK has decided to keep its general secretary Sasikala, who is in jail, and her nephew Dhinakaran, who is deputy general secretary, away from the government and the party.

The sudden announcement came on Tuesday night so that the two rival factions—one, the ruling AIADMK, and the other led by former chief minister O Panneerselvam or OPS, can merge. The talks for merger were already on and OPS had kept a pre-condition that Sasikala and her clan should be kept away.

A consultative meeting chaired by chief minister E Palaniswami was held on Tuesday, when finance minister D Jayakumar declared that one family cannot control AIADMK. “We are ousting Sasikala and Mannargudi clan from the AIADMK,” he said.

But things are not so easy. The questions are: Even if the two factions come together, will they have majority? Whether this government will continue? Will Palaniswami give way to OPS, as the two factions are yet to reach on a common ground on who should be the chief minister? How long this unity would last?

Dhinakaran was contesting from RK Nagar constituency for the by-polls which was to take place last week. The seat had fallen vacant after the death of then chief minister Jayalalithaa in December last year. Before the RK Nagar by-polls could take place, there was allegedly huge amount of cash being given to voters, because of which the election commission cancelled the election.

The Delhi Police have accused Dhinakaran of corruption and criminal conspiracy and a look out notice has also been issued for him.

Comments

Other News

How to listen to the great storytellers that the trees are

The Trees of My Country: A Natural History of India in 50 Trees By T. R. Shankar Raman, with illustrations by Manali Patil Aleph Book Company, 284 pages, Rs 1,499

This tree in Bihar turns out to be the oldest accurately dated banyan

A banyan tree in Munger, Bihar, estimated to be around 700 years old, has been identified as the oldest accurately dated banyan tree, Ficus benghalensis, using radiocarbon dating, a method that relies exclusively on scientific evidence rather than historical records or local lore. Banyan

Corporate Governance 3.0: What the boardroom of 2030 will look like

The phrase "corporate governance" often evokes images of board meetings, compliance checklists, and regulatory filings. For years, governance was viewed primarily as a mechanism to prevent fraud, protect minority shareholders, and ensure regulatory compliance. However, the events of the last deca

India, Japan open "a new chapter in special strategic and global partnership"

India and Japan are opening a new chapter in their special strategic and global partnership with the visit of prime minister Sanae Takaichi, India`s prime minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, "I had said in the G7 summit a few days ago that, in this environment of

AI studies sun images to track bright solar regions

Artificial Intelligence has been used to trace the shift in magnetically active patches on the Sun from 1916 to 2007 by scanning 100 years of hand-drawn Sun records from the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (KoSO). This could give a much longer view of how solar activity changes over time.

General Dhiraj Seth takes over as Chief of Army Staff

General Dhiraj Seth, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, took over as the 31st Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) from General Upendra Dwivedi, PVSM, AVSM, who superannuated after more than four decades of distinguished service to the nation on Tuesday. General Dhiraj Seth is an alumnus of the N