Sasikala appoints nephew Dinakaran as party Dy General Secretary

AIADMK General Secretary V.K. Sasikala on Wednesday appointed nephew T.T.V. Dinakaran as party Deputy General Secretary, ahead of preparing to surrender before the court.

The appointment of her nephew in the newly-created post was announced in a statement prior to Sasikala leaving for Bengaluru to surrender before the court there. The development comes a day after the Supreme Court upheld her conviction in the disproportionate assets case.

In a statement issued here, Sasikala said former Member of Parliament (MP) Dinakaran is appointed as Deputy General Secretary of the party and party men are requested to extend their cooperation to him.

Reacting to the development K.C. Palaniswamy, former MP of AIADMK, told IANS: "Sasikala wants to keep the party under her control and is also playing the caste card."

He said Sasikala and Dinakaran are Thevars and have retained the key party posts, while propping up Public Works Minister Edapadi K. Palanisamy - who belonging to the Gounder community - as leader of the legislature party for the Chief Minister post.

According to him, the rival camp led by acting Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam has to counter balance that now. Panneerselvam belongs to the Thevar community.

Prior to Dinakaran's appointment as Deputy General Secretary, Sasikala had re-admitted him and another nephew S. Venkatesh as members of the party.

In a statement she said the two had expressed apology for their past acts in person and in writing and requested for re-admission into the party.

Incidentally Dinakaran and Venkatesh were dismissed from the party's primary membership by former General Secretary and Chief Minister late J. Jayalalithaa.