CHENNAI: Buoyed by his impressive win in R.K. Nagar by-election, AIADMK rebel T.T.V. Dhinakaran on Sunday vowed to bring down the EPS-OPS government within three months with help from its “sleeper cells”, who will make themselves public during the trust vote on the floor of the Assembly.
A beaming Dhinakaran fielded questions with ease from reporters twice in the day – at Madurai in the morning and at the counting centre in the evening after receiving the winning certificate. He declared that his goal was to send the “villains” (EPS-OPS) packing and install a government that truly inherits late J Jayalalithaa’s legacy.
“This government (AIADMK administration led by EPS-OPS) will fall in another three months. I have always spoken about my sleeper cells within the government. The sleeper cells are still active and they will come out during the trust vote (in the Assembly)”, Dhinakaran told reporters.
“The results in the R.K. Nagar by-election reflect the mindset of the people of Tamil Nadu. People will vote for Two Leaves only when it is with good people and they will not vote if the symbol goes to the hands of EPS and OPS who are akin to villains – M.N. Nambiar and P.S. Veerappa – in the films of legendary MG Ramachandran,” the rebel leader quipped.
He also said all his predictions so far have come true and exuded confidence that his forecast about the longevity of the current government would also be bang on. "I am not boasting. Please go and check my earlier statements…I have always maintained that I will be winning with comfortable margin and many people, including those in the media, laughed at me. But finally I won. I don't go by media because I know the pulse of the people. I have my ears to the ground always", Dhinakaran said.
However, he did not criticise DMK and surprisingly did not demand a floor test, a demand that he has been reiterating since August. Dhinakaran, who was expelled from AIADMK, contested the election as an independent candidate with "pressure cooker" as his symbol. At his press conference in the evening, Dhinakaran trained guns on the government, police and the media and asked the men in khaki not to "behave like goons" and like an "extension of the government."
Accusing the police of "openly siding" with the ruling party and even beating up a few of his supporters outside the counting centre on Sunday, Dhinakaran literally put them on notice saying they should never behave as "extensions of their political bosses".
"I have also seen several policemen through my political life and my advice to them is not to go overboard. I know of a policeman who behaved badly with late Amma in 1989 and was standing outside her residence for an audience in 1991 after she became the Chief Minister. Police should behave like police, not like henchmen of government. If you want to be a henchman, you can go to Ayodhya Kuppam (fishing hamlet notorious for criminals)", he said.
He also criticised the media for "openly supporting" the government and accused some TV channels of "going overboard by even getting a survey done in favour" of the ruling AIADMK.
