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After several false alarms EPS and OPS announce AIADMK merger, party chief Sasikala’s fate sealed

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Palaniswami and Panneerselvam

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Once fighting for Jayalalithaa’s legacy, AIADMK (Amma) faction led by chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami and Puratchi Thalaivi Amma camp of O Panneerselvam unite, likely to convene party’s general body meet soon to expel Amma’s close-aide and jailed AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala

Six months after he was forced to step down as chief minister of Tamil Nadu, O Panneerselvam – who had during the late AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa’s lifetime been her choice to ‘act’ as the state’s top executive on three occasions – returned as deputy chief minister of the state, to serve under Edappadi Palaniswami, who not so long ago was a minister in the OPS cabinet.

After many a twist in the AIADMK saga, the inevitable – though once unthinkable – happened on Monday. Smiling, shaking hands and hugging each other, EPS (Palaniswami) and OPS (Panneerselvam) announced the much anticipated merger of their respective AIADMK factions while their confidantes indicated that Jayalalithaa’s closest aide and jailed party general secretary Sasikala will soon be expelled from her post, and from the party.

Palaniswami, who had succeeded Panneerselvam as Tamil Nadu chief minister after Sasikala’s conviction and four-year jail term ordered by the Supreme Court earlier this year in a disproportionate assets case ensured that she could not hold the office herself, not only accepted his rival to be his deputy but also agreed to make him the ‘chief coordinator’ of the now-united AIADMK and serve as his deputy in the organisation.

“The burden in my heart is gone,” Panneerselvam said after the merger was announced, adding “none can separate us, we are all children of Amma (late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa)… We had a slight difference of opinion and have now come together in the interest of the party. The unification is in deference to the wishes of lakhs of supporters and cadres of the party.”

On part, Palaswami too made conciliatory remarks, saying: “MGR (MG Ramachandran, AIADMK founder) and Amma will be very happy today as we have both united. In six months, we suffered many problems. We will overcome.”

That the EPS and OPS factions will eventually unite had been evident for some time now. The signs had come a few months back when EPS agreed to expel Sasikala’s nephew TTV Dhinakaran from the post of AIADMK deputy secretary general. Then last week, came the clincher – EPS announced a probe into Amma’s death and that her Veda Nilayam residence in Chennai’s Poes Garden locality will be turned into a museum dedicated to her life and career.

With these announcements EPS had accepted two of Panneerselvam’s three key conditions for a merger. And on Friday evening, it was believed that the merger would be announced and Amma’s memorial at Chennai’s Marina beach had even been decked up for the grand proclamation. But then it was the third condition of the OPS faction that delayed the inevitable – his demand that Palaniswami make a public announcement of Sasikala’s ouster from the AIADMK general secretary post and from the party too.

On Monday too, the merger was almost called off when EPS continued to dither on his commitment for the third condition. But then, perhaps political expediency prevailed. EPS turned on the woman who had chosen him to succeed Panneerselvam as chief minister and threatened the AIADMK’s existence – the factional feuds had forced the Election Commission to suspend the party’s ‘two-leaves’ poll symbol – and accepted the final condition.

It is believed that the BJP and a key RSS ideologue had a role to play in convincing EPS to get OPS back into the fold. Had it not been for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with chief ministers of all BJP-ruled states, BJP national president Amit Shah would perhaps have been in Chennai by Tuesday to even meet the united AIADMK leadership.

The Prime Minister was quick to respond to the development in the southern state in which his party has been aching to make in-roads in. Modi, of course, shared a great personal rapport with Amma and the AIADMK had on several crucial occasions come to his government’s rescue in Parliament when Opposition unity threatened to stall its legislative agenda.[/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][vc_column_text]Though unconfirmed as yet, the corridors of power in New Delhi are abuzz with speculation that the AIADMK may now formally join the NDA and with a cabinet reshuffle expected later this month, could even get ministerial berths in Modi’s council.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1503324759277{margin-bottom: 20px !important;border-top-width: 20px !important;padding-top: 20px !important;background-color: #a2b1bf !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Sasikala Video grab

Sasikala ‘on the prowl’

Interestingly, the delay in the merger – which Panneerselvam had, on Saturday, indicated would happen “in a day or two” – coincides with an ‘éxpose’ carried out by The Hindu in which a video recording purportedly made at the Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara Central Prison showed Sasikala and her kin Ilavarasi walking into the jail carrying a bag.

The video is being used as ‘evidence’ to allege that Sasikala – who is serving a four year sentence at the jail since her conviction in a disproportionate assets case – was being given special privileges by the prison authorities and possibly was allowed to step in and out of jail too. The video footage, claims The Hindu, was submitted to the Karnataka police’s anti-corruption bureau (ACB), on Saturday, by former DIG of Prisons D Roopa, who blew the lid off the special treatment meted out to prisoners, including Sasikala, at the Agrahara Central Jail.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Meanwhile, TTV Dhinakaran – who leads a third faction of the AIADMK which continues to swear its allegiance to Sasikala despite the political turnaround in Amma’s party – has been left in the lurch. He is said to have support of at least 17 AIADMK legislators – with whom he even convened a meeting before the merger announcement – and could force a no-trust vote against the Palaniswami government if he isn’t won over.

It is perhaps the clout of Sasikala, Dhinakaran and the Mannargudi mafia (as Sasikala’s family is addressed in Tamil Nadu’s political circles) on the AIADMK cadres that forced EPS and OPS to delay the announcement of her expulsion from the party.

However, both Palaniswami and Panneerselvam are aware that a petition challenging Sasikala’s appointment as AIADMK chief is pending with the Election Commission and she could soon be in for an adverse verdict. If this happens, Palaniswami will be saved from publicly ditching Sasikala.

AIADMK sources say that the EPS and OPS camps may soon call a general council meeting of the party and announce that Amma – though no more – will continue to be named as the party’s general secretary and with the officiating bosses being the Chief Coordinator (Panneerselvam) and the newly-appointed three deputy coordinators (EPS, V Maithreyan and KP Munusamy).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Uttar Pradesh on high alert after gangster turned politician Mukhtar Ansari death, probe ordered on poisoned in jail charge

Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP), Prashant Kumar said that as a precautionary measure, Section 144 of the CrPC has been imposed across the state.

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Several towns in Uttar Pradesh are on high alert and security has been strengthened after jailed gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari died of cardiac arrest. His family alleged that the gangster, who has been in jail since 2005, was poisoned. 

The jailed gangster was hurried to a hospital after he fell unconscious at district jail on Thursday night. After a few hours, he was declared dead by the doctors at the Rani Durgavati Medical College. 

Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP), Prashant Kumar said that as a precautionary measure, Section 144 of the CrPC has been imposed across the state. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has also been called in to assist the police. Reportedly, the CRPF units have already been deployed in Banda, Mau, Ghazipur, and Varanasi.

Additionally, the social media cell of the Uttar Pradesh Police is also on high alert to track unlawful elements that may try to spark a riot. Furthermore, a magisterial investigation into the death of Mukhtar Ansari will be carried out by a three member team, reports said.

A former five-time MLA from Mau Sadar seat Muktar Ansari, had 60 criminal cases pending against him. The gangster turned politician was sentenced in eight cases since September 2022 by different courts of Uttar Pradesh and was lodged in the Banda jail.

Earlier, the former five-time MLA from Mau submitted an application in Barabanki court, alleging he was given some poisonous substance along with his food. He claimed that on March 19, his nerves and limbs started paining after he consumed the food.

Muktar Ansari was born into a family with deep roots in the independence struggle. His grandfather served as the Indian National Congress president in 1927. He was initially affiliated with the Bahujan Samaj Party before forming the Quami Ekta Dal (QED) after being expelled.

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Delhi LG VK Saxena directs probe into remarks against Kangana Ranaut by Congress leader Supriya Shrinate

The Delhi Police will investigate who was behind the said social media post and whose mobile phone was used for the purpose.

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Delhi lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena today sought a detailed probe from Delhi Police commissioner Sanjay Arora in relation with the alleged defamatory social media post made by Congress’s Supriya Shrinate against actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut.

Reportedly, BJP candidate from New Delhi Bansuri Swaraj had given a complaint to the LG seeking probe and registration of an FIR against Shrinate for outraging the modesty of a woman. Subsequently, the Delhi LG has forwarded the complaint to the Delhi Police Commissioner, directing a scientific investigation in the matter and initiation of legal action, if necessary.

Reports said that the Delhi Police will also investigate who was behind the said social media post and whose mobile phone was used for the purpose. A major controversy erupted on Monday after an objectionable post from Supriya Shrinate’s social media handle against Kangana Ranaut, who has been announced as the BJP candidate from Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi.

Responding to the remarks, Kangana Ranaut said that they must free the daughters from the shackles of prejudices and must rise above the curiosity about their body parts. She added that people must refrain from using sex workers’ challenging lives or circumstances as some kind of abuse or slur. She concluded that every woman deserves her dignity. As the controversy intensified, the Congress leader asserted that someone else had posted the objectionable content from her handle. 

Meanwhile, the Election Commission on Wednesday issued a show cause notice to Congress leader Supriya Shrinate for her derogatory remarks against Kangana Ranaut. The Election Commission observed that the remarks are undignified and in a bad taste. The election body asked the Congress leader to respond to the commission by Friday. In the notice, the Election Commission stated that the statements made by the leader is prima facie violative of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) being in force ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. 

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Bollywood actor Govinda joins Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena

Govinda on his official induction in the party by CM Eknath Shinde said he is joining Shiv Sena and it is a blessing from God. He said he thought he would not enter politics again. Govinda said Mumbai looks cleaner and better now.

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Bollywood actor Govinda joined Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena on Thursday ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra. In 2004 Govinda contested from Mumbai North Lok Sabha on a Congress ticket and earned the nickname of a giant slayer as he defeated BJP’s Ram Naik. He resigned from the party and said that he had decided to take a break from politics.

Govinda on his official induction in the party by CM Eknath Shinde said he is joining Shiv Sena and it is a blessing from God. He said he thought he would not enter politics again. Govinda said Mumbai looks cleaner and better now. He said his parents had a good relationship with Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray.

Shiv Sena leader Krishna Hedge met the Bollywood actor at his residence in Juhu. Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde said the actor’s joining the Shiv Sena does not come with a rider. Govinda said whatever work is assigned to him, he will do it to the best of the ability. He said he was a part of the 14th Lok Sabha and has returned to politics after 14 years.

Speaking about his role in politics, the actor said he would transform the film city of Mumbai. He did not reply when he was asked about contesting elections. Govinda said everybody has seen the same level of progress in Maharashtra in the last 2 years, as it has been seen in the country in the last 10 years. He said he is going to focus on the beautification of the state and work towards the growth of art and culture.

Rajya Sabha MP Milind Deora welcomed Govida into the party and said he has known the veteran Bollywood actor for almost 25 years. He recalled the 2004 election and said both of them had fought elections together.

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