Signalling a political realignment in Tamil Nadu, Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) chief T T V Dhinakaran and expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam will share the dais for the first time – at a protest meet on August 1 -- since their fallout in 2017 after J Jayalalithaa’s death.
Though the protest is to condemn the DMK government’s “complacency” in handling the case relating to a murder-cum-burglary at Kodanad Estate, the summer retreat of Jayalalithaa, the target of the two leaders is their “common enemy” - AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, who they allege “suppressed” the truth in the incident as Chief Minister.
Dhinakaran will join the protest in Theni called by Panneerselvam to demand that the DMK government expedite the case and arrest the culprits involved in the break-in at the Kodanad Estate in April 2017. Palaniswami’s name cropped up in the case, but there was no concrete evidence to link him with the incident in Kodanad.
The break-in sent shock waves across Tamil Nadu and the incidents that followed – death of Kanagaraj and wife and daughter of one of the prime accused, Sayan, in separate road accidents and the suspected suicide of a staff at the estate – deepened the mystery.
“TTV will participate in the protest march at the invitation of OPS. Since the AMMK too wants the accused in the case to be punished, TTV decided to share the dais with OPS,” a senior AMMK leader told DH.
However, AMMK leaders and OPS’ supporters said the two former foes appearing together at a protest march will be the beginning of a new political realignment in the state, in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
“This is just the beginning. They are likely to work together in the coming months as they believe they can certainly make a difference in at least half-a-dozen Lok Sabha seats in south Tamil Nadu due to their influence among Mukulathors, a dominant caste,” another leader said.
The latest development comes amid Palaniswami’s strident opposition to take OPS or TTV into the AIADMK. “The two have come together against Palaniswami who has now taken control of the party. By appearing together in a protest on the Kodanad Estate, they want to show their loyalty to late Jayalalithaa and bring EPS in the line of fire,” another leader added.
The Kodanad murder-cum-burglary case has been in the limelight ever since the DMK government assumed office in 2021. The AIADMK led by Palaniswami says the case, which is being re-investigated by the CB-CID, was handled properly during its regime and there was no need to reopen it.
OPS rebelled against Dhinakaran’s aunt, V K Sasikala in February 2017 after he was asked to resign as Chief Minister, leading to a split in the AIADMK. The rebellion prompted Sasikala to anoint Palaniswami as the Chief Minister before she left for Bengaluru to serve her prison term in a disproportionate assets (DA) case. However, Palaniswami shut the door on everyone, including Sasikala, and expelled OPS from the party in 2022.
Left in the lurch without friends, OPS began courting Dhinakaran and Sasikala to remain politically relevant in the state.