In Swipe At OPS And TTV Dhinakaran, EPS Says They Are "Zero Plus Zero"

Slamming expelled party leader O Panneerselvam and Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam chief T T V Dhinakaran, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Thursday said the duo coming together would have no consequence or impact for his party.

In his first reaction to them joining hands a few days back, Palaniswami recalled that years ago Panneerselvam (OPS) used to describe Dhinakaran (TTV) as a betrayer and vice-versa. Therefore, he said two "betrayers have now come together" to forge ties.

"As far as we are concerned, a maya maan (the illusory golden deer in the epic Ramayana) and mann kuthirai (a horse made of sand) has joined hands," he told reporters here.

The outcome of their association, hence, would be "zero plus zero", Palaniswami said, apparently hinting that their ties would have no impact or consequence for the AIADMK.

Pointing out that well-known OPS loyalists -- R Vaithilingam, Paul Manoj Pandian and J C D Prabhakar -- were not present in the meeting between OPS and TTV on May 8 in Chennai, he said: "They are missing".

In what appeared to be a kind of caution to Dhinakaran, Palaniswami said: "Dhinakaran's camp is becoming empty...the scenario is that of a camel entering the tent (The Arab and the Camel story)," he added.

Palaniswami hit out at veteran politician Panruti S Ramachandran for siding with OPS. Ramachandran was with the AIADMK and later switched over to the PMK and then joined the DMDK, Palaniswami said. "Panruti Ramachandran has no following at all." The AIADMK chief said his party's stand that OPS functioned as DMK's "B-team" has been proven. "OPS went to watch a cricket match. There is no problem had he watched only the match," he said adding Panneerselvam had a chat with V Sabareesan, son-in-law of Chief Minister M K Stalin, at the sporting venue.

"It has now been proven that Panneerselvam is DMK's B-team." The cricket match was just OPS' pretext, he claimed. "Whatever we have been saying (on OPS) is true. The cat is out of the bag," Palaniswami claimed.

On Monday, OPS called on Dhinakaran and the leaders announced a working arrangement to take on both the Palaniswami-led AIADMK and the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu. The arrangement would be similar to that of ties between the CPI and CPI(M), they had said.

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