Chennai, Sep 16 (IANS) Amma Makkal Munneetra Kazhagam (AMMK) General Secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran, on Tuesday, launched a scathing attack on AIADMK General Secretary and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS), questioning his right to speak about gratitude and accusing him of surviving in power only through the support of party legislators and not the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Speaking to reporters in Thanjavur, Dhinakaran said Palaniswami’s repeated statements on gratitude sounded “like the devil quoting scriptures”.

He alleged that Palaniswami underestimated the intelligence of the people of Tamil Nadu and other political parties.

“Palaniswami has no right to talk about gratitude. All he knows is betrayal. His government was saved by 122 MLAs, not by the BJP,” Dhinakaran charged.

He reminded that the petition by 18 AIADMK MLAs was not aimed at toppling the former AIADMK-led alliance government but only at removing Palaniswami from the Chief Minister’s post, as his government had deviated from former late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa’s legacy.

Recalling the turbulent days of 2017, Dhinakaran said, “During the confidence vote, several MLAs were on the verge of deserting the AIADMK. It was not the BJP that stopped them, it was the unity among MLAs that kept the government alive. Yet Palaniswami went to Delhi and claimed he was ousted only because Delhi wanted it.”

He accused Palaniswami of disqualifying 18 MLAs solely to protect the Chief Ministerial chair, and said that this proved he had nothing to do with gratitude.

He also cited DMK Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s recent remark that “EPS (Edappadi Palaniswami) is the DMK’s biggest advantage”, saying it was the plain truth: “As long as Palaniswami remains the face of AIADMK, the party cannot return to power.”

Dhinakaran did not spare the BJP either, saying that the saffron party’s path was its own and that future governments would be formed only through broad-based alliances.

Responding to questions on AIADMK veteran K.A. Sengottaiyan’s removal, he said that Jayalalithaa herself had once sidelined him for personal reasons, dismissing any political motives.

He ridiculed Palaniswami’s talk of forging a “grand alliance”, saying that it was unclear if he was expecting political parties to arrive from Sri Lanka.

“The whole world knows who Palaniswami goes to meet,” he said.

Exuding confidence before the upcoming state polls scheduled to be held next year, Dhinakaran declared that 2026 would mark a turning point, saying: “If Palaniswami does not correct himself, he will be left standing on the streets in 2026. And when that happens, we will only be there to support him.”

–IANS

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