Return of Mannargudi mafia: TTK Dinakaran back in AIADMK high command
Synopsis
Sasikala has not only re-inducted TTV Dinakaran but made him deputy general secretary as well Once the AIADMK used to mock the DMK for having a first family, the joke is on them now. This loyalty to one family is a surprising insight into how the AIADMK is structured.
Much is made of the DMK’s apparent allegiance to the family of MK Karunanidhi. J Jayalalithaa herself, when she won a historic third term in 2016 declared - “People of Tamil Nadu have rejected the family politics carried out by our opponents,"
Much of that seems like an ironic joke now, as the Sasikala’s family (known commonly as the Mannargudi mafia) firmly shifts into various places of power in the AIADMK. The latest, and greatest example so far is TTV Dinakaran, who was expelled by J Jayalalithaa.
But how can he stay away now that Sasikala is apparently the new Amma of the AIADMK? He is back, and how! He has been appointed as the new deputy general secretary of the AIADMK. The son of Sasikala’s sister Vanithamani, he was also spotted when Sasikala visited the Governor.
Dinakaran is part of the ‘TTV’ trio, which is made up Dinakaran, Bhaskaran and Sudhakaran - all brothers. And of course, he is not only accused of corruption but much like his aunt, has actually been convicted of it as well. Charged in a case for violations of the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, he was found guilty by the Madras High Court and fined Rs 25 crore.
Also, this also confirms long-held suspicions that the AIADMK has basically become the party of Sasikala’s family. Perhaps there are several more hopeful CMs in the Mannargudi mafia as well.
And on the other hand, O Panneerselvam is also not free from this very Indian tendency of associating merit with bloodline. Deepa, the niece of Jayalalithaa, has been welcomed into the OPS camp with open arms. Deepa has also taken to the role nicely, apparently content to even dress like Jayalalithaa from henceforth.
From the party that mocked the DMK’s first family, it would seem the AIADMK has come a long way indeed.