Arrested AIADMK deputy general secretary and close aide of VK Sasikala, TTV Dinakaran was desperate to become the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and thought that this was his best chance to clinch power in the state, the Delhi Police has claimed.
Dinakaran was today brought to Chennai by the Delhi police, two days after he was arrested in connection with an alleged case of bribery.
According to police, interrogations revealed that Dinakaran was desperate to secure the party’s frozen ‘two leaves’ election symbol by any means and win the RK Nagar assembly by-poll that was necessitated due to the demise of former CM J Jayalalithaa last December.
Police said that Dinakaran was planning to become the CM of the state if he wins the election and was of the belief that this was his best time to clinch power.
During quizzing, Dinakaran reportedly provided contradictory answers and even broke down.
Earlier, he had confessed meeting middleman Sukesh Chandrashekar to secure the AIADMK’s poll symbol. Sukesh is now in police custody.
Earlier in the day, a team of Delhi Police probing the Election Commission bribery case brought Dinakaran and his friend Mallikarjuna by flight from the national capital.
Dhinakaran's supporters Pugazhenthi and Nanchil Sambath were at the airport when the leader arrived.
The police had secured warrants from a Delhi court to search the Chennai residences of Dinakaran and Mallikarjuna as part of its probe.
Police will also be confronting the duo along with Sukesh to get details of the money trail and the phone conversations between them.
Dinakaran was arrested on Tuesday night following four days of questioning for allegedly attempting to bribe an unidentified EC official to get the undivided AIADMK's 'two leaves' election symbol for his faction.
Police had earlier said Sukesh had struck a deal for Rs 50 crore to help the AIADMK (Amma) faction keep the 'two leaves' symbol.
Sukesh had Rs 1.30 crore in cash in his possession when he was arrested from a five-star hotel in Delhi on April 16.
Dinakaran was arrested for allegedly arranging the amount from undisclosed sources and getting it transferred from Chennai to Delhi through illegal channels. Mallikarjuna was arrested for allegedly helping Dinakaran transfer this money from Chennai to Delhi, police had said.
Police are verifying whether Sukesh had approached any EC official for getting a favourable verdict for Dinakaran's faction.
Dinakaran, who was appointed deputy general secretary by jailed AIADMK chief VK Sasikala, had earlier faced a revolt by some of the ministers, even as efforts were on for the merger of the rival factions led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami and his predecessor O Panneerselvam.
