TTV Dinakaran axes 4 ministers from party posts, Congress demands floor test

Chennai

Seeking to assert his authority, sidelined AIADMK leader TTV Dinakarantoday axed four ministers from party posts while 18 MLAs loyal to him stayedput in a Puducherry resort, a day after they revolted against the K Palaniswamigovernment threatening its survival.

The Congress, meanwhile, pitched for a floor test in theassembly, a day after its ally DMK made a similar demand, claiming 22 AIADMKMLAs had submitted letters to Governor Ch Vidayasagar Rao expressing lack ofconfidence in Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami.

In the 234-member assembly, the AIADMK has 134 MLAs.

Rallying behind jailed party chief V K Sasikala, her brotherDivakaran claimed the Palaniswami ministry had "lost majority" andsought his resignation."Such a government cannot continue. Edappadi Palaniswamihas to resign," he told reporters at Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district.

Divakaran had yesterday suggested the name of assemblySpeaker P Dhanapal, a Dalit, to replace Palaniswami.

Both Palaniswami and Panneerselvam seemed undeterred by thedevelopments. They are attending the centenary celebrations of AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran in Ariyalur.

A day after meeting the Governor, the MLAs supporting thecombative Dhinakaran, stayed put at a private resort in neighbouringPuducherry. They largely remained indoors.

A few of them, including Andipatti MLA Thangatamilselvan,went out for morning walk at the beach there.

Police personnel have been deployed outside the resort andmedia was not allowed to enter the premises.

The local wing of the unified AIADMK burned effigies ofDinakaran, nephew of Sasikala, near the resort and raised slogans againstthem.

In a bid to assert his authority,Dinakaran "relieved"fourministers -- RB Uthayakumar, KC Veeramani, MR Vijayabaskar and R Kamaraj -- ofparty posts.

Revenue Minister Uthayakumar was removed as Secretary of thePuratchi Thalaivi Amma Peravai, while Vijayabaskar (Transport) was eased out asthe party's Karur district secretary.

He was replaced by former transport minister and Dinakaran loyalistMLA, V Senthil Balaji.

Dinakaran relived ministers for commercial taxes and food,Veeramani and Kamaraj, of the posts of district secretaries of Vellore (West)and Thiruvarur, respectively.

In separate statements, Dinakaran announced the appointmentsof his aides to these posts.

He also relieved the district secretaries of Chennai(South), Kancheepuram, Thiruvallore (West) and Pudukottai of their duties.

In the Dravidian parties' hierarchy, district secretariesplay a key role in the organisational growth.

He also appointed a number of his supporters to variousothers posts including that of the organisation secretary, besides expandingthe office-bearers list.

The appointments were made with the "approval" ofSasikala, Dinakaran said.

A few weeks ago also, Dinakaran had appointed his supportersto various party posts.

The latest shake-up by Dinakaran comes two days after themerger of the factions led by Palaniswami and rebel leader O Panneerselvam, aformer chief minister.

Under the arrangement, Panneerselvam was made deputy chiefminister and the coordinator of the party. Palaniswami was namedco-coordinator.

It was also agreed that steps would be taken to expelSasikala, which was a pre-condition for the merger.

In the wake of differences in the ruling party, the DMK hasdemanded a floor test in the assembly to prove that the government was in amajority.

At Puducherry, former MLA Om Sakthi Segar led the protest againstSasikala and Dhinakaran.

Segar handed over a petition to the district collector andSP asking them to instruct the MLAs to vacate the resort in the "largerinterest of law and order".

He alleged the Congress-led Puducherry government was tryingto engineer a split in the AIADMK by letting the MLAs stay at the resort.