Sidelined AIADMK Deputy General Secretary T T V Dhinakaran on Saturday said he did not wish to become the Chief Minister after the death of former CM Jayalalithaa, though there was no obstacle.

“I did not not aspire to become the CM, as general secretary V K Sasikala chose O Paneerselvam for the post so that the party and the
government could be saved,” he told reporters at Avinashi in Tirupur District. Even Sasikala could have been sworn in as CM, but she decided on Paneerselvam to keep the AIADMK rule going, he said, adding all the ministers wanted her to hold the mantle then. “Only based on the complaints by ministers, including Edappadi Palaniswami, Paneerselvam was removed from chief ministership,” Dhinakaran said.

Stating that both Paneerselvam and Palaniswami sought votes for him in the run up to the R K Nagar by-election, Dhinakaran said they changed their stance and started opposing Sasikala later. “The MLAs were in fact angry when they heard about the move to remove Sasikala from the general secretary post and demanded that the CM be changed,”he claimed, adding that 21 MLAs have openly come out in her support and there are ‘sleeper cells’ (inside the EPS-OPS faction) as well to save the party.