Chennai, May 12 (IANS) Amid the AIADMK rift row, DMK spokesperson Salem Dharanidharan on Tuesday said that this is the end of the opposition party, as for the first time, even its MLAs are splitting in different directions.

Speaking to IANS, Dharanidharan said: “Earlier, (late CM Jayalalithaa’s key aide) Sasikala left, (her nephew) T.T.V. (Dhinakaran) left, then OPS (former Chief Minister O.Panneerselvam) left, and (former minister K.A.) Sengottaiyan also left. The party had already weakened drastically and was operating through different directions and factions. Now, for the first time, even the MLAs of the AIADMK are splitting in different directions, which implies that this is the real end of the AIADMK.”

“But the real and interesting question is this: (TVK supremo and Chief Minister) Vijay has supposedly said that he is an anti-establishment force and that he is different from both the DMK and the AIADMK. He also said that the AIADMK is corrupt. Now, S.P. Velumani, C. Ve. Shanmugam and others are joining TVK. Which means, is Vijay also becoming a washing machine?” he asked.

“CAG audit reports have categorically said that Velumani was involved in scams worth thousands of crores. Now, he is allying with them just for electoral necessity. So, how do you think corruption will not happen if the most corrupt people are joining him?” Dharanidharan told IANS.

The internal crisis within the AIADMK intensified on Tuesday after senior party leader and former Minister Shanmugam openly accused party General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) of attempting to explore a tie-up with the DMK and announced support for Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay-led TVK government.

Addressing the media along with senior AIADMK leaders, including former Minister Velumani, Shanmugam said the party was passing through one of the most difficult phases in its history after suffering consecutive electoral defeats.

“The AIADMK is facing continuous setbacks, and there is an urgent need to revive the party and restore the rule envisioned by M.G. Ramachandran and J. Jayalalithaa,” he said.

Referring to the recently concluded Tamil Nadu Assembly elections in which the AIADMK was pushed to third place with only 47 seats, Shanmugam said the NDA led by the AIADMK has failed to win the confidence of the people, and the verdict has been accepted with humility.

He alleged that during internal consultations held after the election defeat, EPS proposed exploring the possibility of forming a government with the support of the DMK. “AIADMK was founded to oppose the DMK. We were shocked when such a suggestion was made. We clearly told him that any move towards the DMK would destroy the identity of the AIADMK,” Shanmugam said.

According to him, a majority of AIADMK MLAs later passed a resolution declaring that the pre-poll alliance no longer existed and decided to extend support to the Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government.

Shanmugam announced that Velumani had been elected as the leader of the AIADMK Legislature Party, while former Minister C. Vijayabaskar was chosen as the party whip in the Assembly.

He also said senior leaders had urged EPS to convene the AIADMK General Council immediately to analyse the reasons behind the repeated electoral defeats and initiate corrective measures.

The developments come amid widening divisions within the party, with one faction led by EPS and another led by Velumani and Shanmugam holding parallel consultations over the past few days.

–IANS

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