O Panneerselvam, In Office After A Week, Orders 'Security' Off MLAs' Resort

Chennai: Hours after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam walked into his office on Monday after a week's absence, state education minister K Pandiarajan said the rings around the luxury resort where legislators of the VK Sasikala faction have been corralled, will be "cleared of outsiders" on Tuesday, giving safe passage to whoever wishes to meet them. Engaged in a tussle for power with Ms Sasikala, the Panneerselvam camp has claimed that the legislators have been held against their will, so they can be produced before the Governor for a show of strength.

Ms Sasikala has said the legislators were staying of their volition, and she invited the media to see that they were "free and happy". But some journalists have alleged that they were attacked by goons near the resort.

"Earlier the police check was cursory, now it is more intensive. The Chief Minister has reviewed security," Mr Pandiarajan claimed, putting the figure of "outsiders removed" to "four digits".

The legislators were taken to the luxury resort near Chennai last Wednesday - a day after Mr Panneerselvam rebelled, claiming he had been forced to resign from the top job to make way for Ms Sasikala. They were allegedly kept in seclusion so they would not be influenced by Mr Pannerselvam, whose camp has since swelled to include 11 members of Parliament and 7 legislators.  

Mr Pandiarajan, who joined Mr Pannerselvam's camp last Saturday, said "49 out of AIADMK's 49 MPs will be with us". Explaining why the number of Parliamentarians exceeds that of the state legislators, he said, unlike the MLAs, they were not under rings of protection.

Mr Pannerselvam has claimed that he can prove he has majority support in the state assembly "if MLAs are set free and allowed to decide."

Claiming there has been a groundswell of support for Mr Panneerselvam, he said, "Since the time of party founder MGR, we did not see this kind of emotive support. That is why I shifted. The MLAs also know this".