AMMK not private firm: TTV to Dhivakaran

He was responding to his uncle Dhivakaran’s angry remarks on Tuesday that the latter would no longer work along with Dhinakaran if he considered people like P Vetrivel and V Senthil Balaji (both disqualified MLAs) more important than family members.

The AMMK leader’s comments a day after his attempts to balance his relatives and party associates through a speech at a public meeting failed to pacify his uncle Dhivakaran, who hit out at Vetrivel, who had posed comments in Facebook alleging that the former was trying to broker a deal to merge the AMMK with the ruling AIADMK for personal gains.

Dhinakaran was speaking to reporters after worshipping at the Swamimalai temple in Thanjavur on Wednesday. “I am a soft man but very firm. Dhivakaran is angry with VK Sasikala and he is taking it out on me. He has not met Sasikala in Bengaluru prison for a long time,” he said.

On Tuesday, Dhivakaran charged his nephew with trying to erase the AIADMK from the political scene and asserted that he would not accept the AMMK. Reacting to Vetrivel’s charges that he is trying to broker a merger between the AIADMK and AMMK, he said “Dhinakaran should understand that there are no permanent foes and friends in politics. I cannot accept a party which does not have ‘Anna’ and ‘Dravida’ in its name. I have no difference with him but the latter’s associates are against me,” he said.

Lashing out at Vetrivel and Senthil Balaji, he pointed out that they joined the AIADMK from other parties. He also denied the charges that he was trying to get AIADMK youth wing leader post for his son Jeyanand by bringing AMMK into AIADMK.

“We will function separately and will not join the AIADMK,” he added.

The war of words had begun with Jeyanand posting a series of comments without naming anyone or party. Without referring to Jeyanand’s posts Vetrivel directly attacked Dhivakaran charging the latter with trying to broker a deal for personal gains.

Reacting to it Dhinakaran said, “The cadre are maintaining contacts with Dhivakaran as he is the brother of Sasikala, but he should not take advantage of that. I was informed that he (Dhivakaran) has been speaking against me and Sasikala, but I do not bother about his criticism.”

He further said that he wanted to run AMMK as a political party and not as a private limited that is owned by a family.