Security beefed up outside Pondy resort

Puducherry: The police are keeping a strict vigil outside the resort where the 18 AIADMK MLAs loyal to TTV Dhinakaran are putting up since Tuesday.

The Puducherry Police has deployed a huge posse of personnel outside the resort in the coastal village of Chinna Veerampattinam in Ariyankuppam commune panchayat limits near here.

They have put up iron barricades on a stretch to restrict the movement of people.

A large number of media persons within and outside Puducherry are also camping outside the resort for the last three days.

One of the legislators, Thangatamilselvan, said there was a "wrong projection about us in a section of the media" and they had gathered at the resort to show that they were united.

Former MLA Om Sakthi Segar, a loyalist of Deputy Chief Minister O Paneerselvam, had yesterday led a protest against AIADMK general secretary V K Sasikala and Dhinakaran.

He had also submitted a petition to the district collector and the SP asking them to instruct the MLAs to vacate the resort in the "larger interest of law and order".

The factions led by Chief Minister K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam merged on Monday with the latter being made the deputy chief minister and coordinator of the party.