Ruling AIADMK camp says rival leader TTV Dinakaran's merger deal 'will not happen'

Chennai: Ruling AIADMK on Wednesday rejected rival leader TTV Dinakaran’s offer for a deal to merge his faction with the mainstream party, saying it would not happen. Senior party leader and Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar said “it will not happen,” to a question by reporters on Dinakaran’s offer for a truce. [caption id=“attachment_4340561” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of TTV Dhinakaran. Getty images[/caption] RK Nagar MLA and rival leader Dinakaran said on Wednesday that he was inclined to a truce with ruling Palaniswamy and Panneerselvam-led party. Speaking to reporters at Kathiramangalam in Thanjavur district during his ongoing tour to reach out to people, he had said he was not interested in becoming chief minister and came up instead with two conditions for a merger. He wanted the removal of six ministers (‘betrayers’) from the Cabinet and one of his 18 disqualified MLAs be appointed the chief minister. Dinakaran, however, did not name the ‘betrayers’. Jayakumar said Dinakaran was indulging in mere ’tall talk. Using a cinematic expression, he said the rival leader’s present situation is “he is laughing even while weeping…. this is his situation.” The minister took potshots at Dinakaran saying he has “joined DMK Working President MK Stalin, which has impacted him.” That was why he came up a ‘films screenwriting style demand’ for removal of six ministers and appointment of one of his disqualified loyalist MLAs as chief minister, he said. “It is not possible practically and there is no room now to consider it,” Jayakumar said. Diehard Panneerselvam loyalist and former minister K P Munusamy sought to know the relation between Dhinakaran and the party and charged the media with “making him appear big.” Munusamy, who wielded considerable clout when he was a Minister during the previous Jayalalithaa regime (2011-16), said “he (Dhinakaran) is an expert in political deception.”