AIADMK symbol row: VK Sasikala's nephew TTV Dinakaran booked in bribery case, denies charges

New Delhi: AIADMK deputy General Secretary TTV Dinakaran has been booked for attempting to offer bribe to election commission officials in an FIR filed by the Crime Branch of Delhi Police on Monday.

News agency ANI quoted sources as saying that Delhi Police Crime Branch had named AIADMK leader TTV Dinakaran in an FIR filed after the seizure of Rs 1.5 crore allegedly aimed at influencing the war over the party’s frozen election symbol of “two leaves”.

Delhi Police had earlier arrested a person called S Chandrashekhar with the cash, and seized a BMW and a Mercedes car from him. 

Chandrashekhar was arrested from a hotel in central Delhi this morning, said reports.

The arrest comes amid a bitter fight for the AIADMK’s ‘two-leaf’ symbol between the O Panneerselvam and the VK Sasikala faction of Tamil Nadu’s ruling party.

The Crime Branch has also sent summons to Dinakaran, who is expected to meet Sasikala today, to join the probe and has also sent a report to the Election Commission.

Dinakaran was allegedly told by S Chandrashekhar, the mediator, that the AIADMK party symbol - which was frozen by the Election Commission last month ahead of the RK Nagar bypoll - would go to the Dinakaran-Sasikala camp if he was paid Rs 60 crore.

Dinakaran, however, denied bribery charges saying, ''I don't know anybody by this name, Sukesh Chandrasekhar (alleged middleman). I haven't bribed anyone for anything.''

I don't know anybody by this name, Sukesh Chandrasekhar (alleged middleman). I haven't bribed anyone for anything: TTV Dinakaran pic.twitter.com/xQjEPdPEcm — ANI (@ANI_news) April 17, 2017

I will legally face if any summon comes to me from Delhi Police, Dinakaran said when asked about the FIR against him for allegedly offering bribe for 'two leaves' symbol.

Dinakaran is Sasikala’s nephew and the party’s candidate for the RK Nagar bypoll, which the Election Commission postponed amid allegations of widespread use of money power. RK Nagar was the constituency of the late Jayalalithaa.