AMMK general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran on Friday said there was no need for him or V.K. Sasikala, former interim general secretary, to offer apologies to the AIADMK [over the events that led to the split in the party in 2017]. Only AIADMK coordinator O. Panneerselvam should apologise for it, he contended.
To questions on Mr. Panneerselvam’s observation a few days ago about “forgiving those who repent their past actions,” he told journalists, at his party office here that though he did not know the full details of what Mr. Panneerselvam spoke, he [Panneerselvam] had voted in the Assembly along with the DMK [its MLAs were evicted before voting] against the AIADMK government [during a confidence motion in February 2017]. “The whole world knows who committed mistakes, who were the betrayers, who crawled [before Ms Sasikala] to capture power and who got frozen the symbol of two leaves. It is they who have to regret for their actions.”
To another query, he said the complaints that were levelled against the previous regime were being made against the present regime too.
Pointing out that his party was denied permission to pay homage to AIADMK founder M.G. Ramachandran at the memorial on Marina beach as part of the authorities’ steps to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, Mr. Dhinakaran asked why the same rule was not invoked against the DMK, which had paid respects to the DK founder E.V. Ramasamy.
