Not proper to blame central government on AIADMK symbol issue: Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan

Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan today said it was not proper to blame the central government for allotment of "Two Leaves" symbol to unified AIADMK.

The symbol had been allotted by the Election Commission to the group led by Chief Minister K Palaniswami and his deputy O Pannerselvam, he told reporters here.

"It is not good and proper to blame the Centre for it," Radhakrishnan, Minister of State for Finance, he said when asked about sidelined AIADMK leader TTV Dinakaran's charge that the Centre had a role in allotting the symbol to the EPS-OPS group.

Dinakaran had yesterday alleged that EC acted in a partisan manner and according to the Centre's wish while deciding the row over the two-leaves party symbol.

"The Commission did not act neutrally. We will approach the Supreme Court against its order... The ruling confirms that EC functioned in accordance with the Centre's wish...the Centre's hand can be seen, Centre's intervention is there," he alleged.

Dealing a blow to deposed jailed interim general secretary V K Sasikala, the EC had yesterday allotted the party symbol to the Palaniswami-Panneerselvam faction, holding that it enjoyed the support of majority of members, both in the organisational and legislature wings of AIADMK.

Dinakaran, nephew of Sasikala, has said they would move the Supreme Court against the EC decision.