Bribery case: Dinakaran leaves for Capital to appear before Delhi Police

AIADMK leader TTV Dinakaran is all set to appear before the Delhi Police in connection with a bribery case on Saturday.

News agency ANI reported that the former deputy general secretary of the party had already reached the Chennai airport around 8.15 am, and was expected to board a flight to the national capital shortly. He didn't offer comment, stating that he would speak to the media upon his return.

Dinakaran is accused of bribing an Election Commission official to get the 'two leaves' symbol allotted to the AIADMK (Amma) faction, of which he was the deputy general secretary. An FIR was lodged against the politician after the official, Sukesh Chander, was arrested from a five-star hotel on April 16. Two luxury cars and cash amounting to Rs 1.3 crore were recovered from his possession. On April 19, a Delhi Police team visited Chennai to serve a notice stipulating Dinakaran's participation in the probe.

The ruling AIADMK party had split into two factions - the



AIADMK (Amma) and AIADMK (Puratchi Thalavi Amma) - following the death of founder J Jayalalithaa on December 5 last year. The days that followed found both the sides waging a desperate battle to secure the original party's 'two leaves' symbol. However, the Election Commission eventually disallowed either faction from bearing it.

Dinakaran's political fortunes has been heading south ever since. Even as the two factions attempted to forge a merger recently, AIADMK (Puratchi Thalavi Amma) leader O Panneerselvam demanded that both jailed AIADMK (Amma) general secretary VK Sasikala and her nephew, Dinakaran, be taken out of the equation. The other faction, led by chief minister E Palanisamy, gave in.

Dinakaran stepped down from his post on Wednesday.

The Panneerselvam faction, however, was not completely convinced. It demanded written proof of the duo's ouster from the party on Thursday, stating that the modalities of the merger can be discussed only after that.