Tamil Nadu's ruling AIADMK on Wednesday said that there is “no chance” of reinducting V K Sasikala and her nephew T T V Dhinakaran into the party, asserting that ally BJP will not interfere in the internal affairs of the party.
Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar, considered as the spokesman of the state government, told reporters at the AIADMK headquarters that the party has “rejected” suggestions on Sasikala and Dhinakaran's reinduction into the party or be taken into the alliance.
“Chief Minister (Edappadi K Palaniswami) has made it clear that there is no chance of Sasikala and Dhinakaran joining AIADMK. 100 percent there is no chance and this is the stand of the party,” Jayakumar said, amid an effort by the BJP to bring the two factions of the ruling party together for the April 6 Assembly elections.
To a question on whether BJP has moved a proposal before the party to at least consider inducting Dhinakaran's AMMK into the alliance, Jayakumar said alliance and ideology of the party are two different things. “BJP is our alliance partner. They do not intefere in our internal matters. They never do it and we decide for our party,” he said.
Jayakumar's comments come three days after Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and the deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Chennai on Sunday. DH had reported on March 1 that Palaniswami is understood to have told Shah that he was in favour of reinducting the duo into the party.
Jayakumar's statement came just minutes after BJP General Secretary C T Ravi maintained that it is for the AIADMK to decide on the Sasikala-Dhinakaran question. “EPS and OPS know the strengths and weaknesses of Sasikala. It is for them to decide,” he said.