AIADMK action shifts to Election Commission
Hear me before deciding on party symbol, says Dhinakaran.
Chennai: Even as the EPS-OPS camp was consulting legal experts on moving applications in the “Two Leaves” symbol case, T.T.V. Dhinakaran camp on Tuesday moved in to stonewall the proceedings asking the Election Commission (EC) not to take any decision on the issue without consulting them since they have the “support of 21 MLAs.”
Pugazhendi, Karnataka state coordinator of AIADMK and an ardent supporter of Mr Dhinakaran, submitted a petition before the EC seeking to join as respondents in the case that has been pending before the poll agency since March this year. “Two Leaves”, the official symbol of the AIADMK, was frozen in March after both the EPS and OPS factions staked claim for the same.
Dhinakaran faction’s petition came even as a high-powered delegation from AIADMK led by finance minister D. Jayakumar was camping in the national capital to meet the Chief Election Commissioner and formally inform him about the merger of the two factions. The committee had to return empty-handed since the CEC was out of the country, reflecting poor planning and strategy on their part.
After filing the petition, Pugazhendi tore into chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami saying he has “no right” to convene the General and Executive Council of the AIADMK. “I don’t know which faction EPS belongs to as of now,” he said, in reply to a specific question.
Dhinakaran faction’s petition seeking to add them as a respondent in the case is seen as a clear attempt to stonewall the efforts by the EPS-OPS camp to get the “Two Leaves” symbol without any hindrance. With the Dhinakaran camp, which claims to have support of 21 MLAs, filing a petition before the EC, political observers say it would be imperative on the poll body to hear them as well before taking any decision.
“We have filed a petition before the Election Commission asking them not to come to any conclusion in the Two Leaves case without hearing us. We command support of 21 MLAs and many more who are in the legislature party and hence we have requested that we should be consulted and heard. We are the original AIADMK,” Pugazhendi told reporters.