File photo of AIADMK Amma faction Deputy General Secretary T T V Dinakaran (PTI Photo)
New Delhi: AIADMK leader TTV Dinakaran has been called to the Delhi Police Crime Branch for his fourth day of interrogation on Tuesday. The AIADMK deputy secretary general was asked to come in at 5PM, while at the same time his alleged middleman Sukesh Chandrasekar will be produced in court.
Sukesh during his interrogation confessed that Dinakaran offered him money and that most of the meetings took place in Chennai.
Dinakaran also had confessed to meeting Sukesh Chandrsekar, the arrested middleman in the EC bribery case. Dinakaran claims he assumed Sukesh was a high court judge, as Delhi Police grilled the politician for almost seven hours on Monday.
A total of 16 people have been interrogated by the police over TTV Dinakaran’s bid to bribe Election Commission officials over the ‘two leaves’ symbol. One of those questioned by the police was J Jayalalithaa’s disproportionate assets case lawyer, B Jayakumar. The advocate has been asked to report back to the Crime Branch office at 11PM on Tuesday.
The police have reached out to the Election Commission to help them understand the process of allotting a party symbol. They are trying to figure out how deep Sukesh was able to get in the EC. The body though has not yet replied to the queries.
Having been appointed as deputy general secretary by jailed AIADMK chief V S Sasikala, Dinakaran has been isolated in his party amid moves to merge rival factions led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E K Palaniswami and his predecessor O Panneerselvam.
A powerful section of the ruling AIADMK recently revolted against Sasikala-Dhinakaran leadership. The development came after Panneerselvam, who is leading the rival faction, demanded ouster of Sasikala and Dinakaran as a condition for the merger.
Dinakaran later announced he would stay away from party affairs and that he could be removed only by Sasikala. Sasikala is at present serving a four-year jail term in Bengaluru in a disproportionate assets case.