Jayalalithaa’s nephew lashes out at Dinakaran, favours Panneerselvam; says ready to pay Rs 100 crore fine

Chennai: Late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s nephew Deepak Jayakumar, who was backing VK Sasikala earlier, has now raised his voice against the appointment of TTV Dinakaran as AIADMK deputy general secretary.
Jayakumar further offered to pay the Rs 100 crore fine imposed by a court on Jayalalithaa, reported The Times of India.
Jayalalithaa’s nephew has also staked claim to the late former chief minister’s Poes Garden residence and other properties.
Talking to the daily, Jayakumar said former chief minister O Panneerselvam should be shouldered with the responsibility of the party leadership.
“Dinakaran is not fit to be the party deputy general secretary. My aunt was opposed to family politics. She got Dinakaran MP post (sic), and she threw him out of the party too,” he told the daily. On December 19, 2011, Sasikala, along with her relatives, was expelled from AIADMK by Jayalalithaa following a report of a possible coup against her. In 2012, Sasikala was restored as a party member, but not her relatives and loyalists.
The AIADMK needs officials like Panneerselvam, E Madhusudanan and C Ponnaiyan (expelled by Sasikala for “anti-party” activities), Jayakumar said, adding, “I hope Dinakaran will understand that.”
“My aunt (Sasikala) is already there (as general secretary). OPS anna (brother) should be given Dinakaran’s post.”
Meanwhile, in an interview to NewsX, Jayakumar said, “I will pay the Rs 100 crore fine for my aunt Jayalalithaa. I don’t have money, so I will sell properties. I can’t say which property I am going to sell. But Poes garden belongs to me and Deepa (his sister).”
On a probe into Jayalalithaa’s death, he said: “…if they want, let us have a probe. We (he and Sasikala) are ready to prove our innocence to all, including my sister Deepa. Everything from hospitalisation to treatment was genuine. I was in hospital for 62 or 64 days and I visited my aunt.”
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on February 18 comfortably won the vote of confidence in the state Assembly, with the proceedings marred by pandemonium that saw the opposition DMK evicted by the Speaker, and the Congress too walked out.
Palaniswami belongs to the AIADMK faction led by party general secretary VK Sasikala.