BJP hand suspected as AIADMK factions bury their differences to oust the Sasikala clan.
When India’s guided missile destroyer INS Chennai sailed into the Tamil Nadu coast for the first time, no one would have imagined that it would serve as a venue for further political realignments in Tamil Nadu. Three days later on April 18, the 163-metre-long warship, which was anchored off the Marina beach, not too far from the Jayalalithaa memorial, hosted around 100 MLAs and ministers of the ruling AIADMK. Unlike the time they spent together at the Koovathur resort a couple of months ago to ensure the primacy of their leader V.K. Sasikala, the legislators this time were exploring the options to keep Sasikala and her nephew T.T.V. Dhinakaran out of the party.
The invitation for the MLAs to visit the ship was extended by Chief Minister K. Palaniswami. Although the CM stayed away from the meeting, the MLAs and their family members took the opportunity to bond with each other and to talk freely about their future course of action.
Palaniswami got the idea of such a meeting from senior AIADMK leader and Lok Sabha deputy speaker M. Thambidurai. The two leaders had met twice on April 17. Emerging out of the meeting, Thambidurai, who was instrumental in getting Sasikala to lead the party, said, “There is only a difference of opinion among us. There is no split in the AIADMK.” Thambidurai reportedly took the lead in restoring unity in the party after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi a couple of weeks ago.
This story is from the April 30, 2017 edition of THE WEEK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 30, 2017 edition of THE WEEK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
BIOPIC AND BEYOND
Randeep Hooda may have proved his acting credentials with biopics, but typecast him at your own peril
Flutter of flimsy wings
Butterfly Research Centre in Bhimtal boasts 3,500 butterfly and moth specimens
SIMILAR STATES, DIFFERENT BATTLES
The Congress seems to have the edge in Telangana while in Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu and Jagan Mohan Reddy are locked in a bitter battle
A RIDE TO REMEMBER
On board Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s bus as he was attacked
Winning 14 of 17 seats is my target
Anumula Revanth Reddy is on a mission to demonstrate a democratic and egalitarian facet of power and leadership.
LOTUS TAKES ROOT
Buoyed by its slowly growing acceptance among the voters in Tamil Nadu, the BJP is mounting its fiercest offensive ever
BLANK CHECK
Several factors favour an increase in the BJP’s vote share in Kerala, but whether the party can win a seat remains uncertain
CONGRESS HAS A HISTORY OF MAKING ADJUSTMENTS WITH COMMUNAL FORCES
In April 2021, as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was leading the CPI(M)’s assembly poll campaign to win a second consecutive term, a spirited debate erupted in Kerala over an epithet that party workers had bestowed on him.
POLL PLOT
Congress hopes its five guarantees’ will blunt BJP’s aggressive push
MODI'S GUARANTEES REMAIN IN SPEECHES, MY GUARANTEES ARE FULFILLED
The transformation is unmissable. The old-school mass leader Siddaramaiah has suddenly switched into the new avatar of a master strategist.
