Toned down after I-T raids, Dhinakaran calls himself "just a small fry"
- Dhinakaran said that the searches at the 180 locations were the result of a collusion between Union Government and the the Edappadi K Palaniswami Government.
- He alleged that this was done so that he and Sasikala could be eliminated.
- Earlier Dhinakaran had claimed he has been appointing people at crucial posts by removing heavyweights like Palaniswami from his party positions.
FollowAfter reports of I-T raids on his and Sasikala's properties emerged, a much humbler TTV Dhinakaran could be seen extending in what seemed like an an olive branch to the ruling party. His aggressive fighting stance was mellowed down as he could be heard calling himself "just a small fry" with a small group of followers as compared to the majority EPS-OPS faction.
In a sharp U-turn to his earlier stance of calling Chinnamma (Sasikala) the commanding force of the party, Dhinakaran said, "We are not calling ourselves a big party. We are just functioning as a small group under the leadership of Chinamma (VK Sasikala) after the demise of Amma (J Jayalalithaa). We are not in the race to demolish a party to further our interests".
When the raids began on Thursday, Dhinakaran said that the searches at the 180 locations were the result of a collusion between Union Government and the the Edappadi K Palaniswami Government so that he and Sasikala could be eliminated. Dhinakaran had also been maintaining in the Election Commission that he was the real "AIADMK".
Incidentally, the present stance of the controversial leader is seen as a 360 degree turnaround from his claims of calling the shots in AIADMK. He also claimed that he has been appointing people at crucial posts by removing heavyweights like Palaniswami from his party positions. Experts, however, believe that this soft stance by Dhinakaran would not work in his favour since these raids are a part of “Operation Clean Up of Tamil Nadu” launched by the BJP in the aftermath of J Jayalalithaa's death last December.
Inside sources also believe that this could be the first step by the BJP to build a foothold in Tamil Nadu as an alternative to AIADMK and the DMK.
Meanwhile, clarifying his opinion about the raids, Dhinakaran said, "We are not against I-T raids, but my question is what the need is to conduct a mega raid with 1,800 people? Why target people like Pugazhendi and Thanga Tamilselvan who are in no way connected to our businesses?"
He also questioned why he and his family were the only targets in the raids and that those who introduced 'Ssand Baron' Shekhar Reddy to Tamil Nadu were let go? "Why people who introduced Shekhar Reddy are not being probed? They have held portfolios like Highways and Public Works Department”, he said, indicating O Panneerselvam.
Interacting with the reporters Dhinakaran said that nothing has been retrieved from his farmhouse in Aurovile and that I-T raids on his properties have already ended.
