Chennai: Two weeks after 19 MLAs supporting him announced that they were withdrawing support to Edappadi K. Palaniswami, embattled AIADMK leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran will meet Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao on Thursday demanding “change of Chief Minister.”
Andipatti MLA Thanga Tamilselvan said a delegation headed by Dhinakaran will meet Rao at 12.30 pm at Raj Bhawan on Thursday to brief him about the political situation in Tamil Nadu.
Tamilselvan, one of the vociferous supporters of the V.K. Sasikala family, also rejected reports that many MLAs have left the Dhinakaran camp and have even vacated their rooms at a resort in Puducherry.
“There is no truth in such reports. We are all united and our leader Dhinakaran will meet Governor on Thursday to demand change of Chief Minister. We will ensure that the CM is changed,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
Tamilselvan and 18 other MLAs had met Rao on August 22 submitting letter of withdrawal of support to Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami. Governor Rao had rejected demands for his intervention, saying the matter was an “internal dispute” of the AIADMK.
Dhinakaran camp claims to have the strength of 21 MLAs in the AIADMK legislature party and many more as “sleeper cells.”
DMK, Congress and Left parties had also met President Ramnath Kovind seeking a direction to the Governor to order a floor test.
Incidentally, during the hearing of a PIL seeking a floor test in the Madras High Court on Tuesday, the state Advocate General had contended that the revolt by 19 MLAs was an internal affair of AIADMK and the Governor cannot interfere in the matter.
