Chennai, Sep 8 (IANS): DMK organising secretary and MP R.S. Bharathi Thursday said that 50 AIADMK legislators were in touch with his party for joining the DMK.

He was responding to the AIADMK leader and former Chief Minister, Edappadi K. Palaniswami's comment on Wednesday that 10 DMK MLAs, who are fed up with the policies and corporatisation of the party, were willing to join the AIADMK.

Bharati said that 30 district secretaries and two MPs of the AIADMK were also in touch with the DMK leadership.

In an apparent retort to the AIADMK leader, Bharathi asked Palaniswami to reveal the names of the DMK MLAs who were willing to join the AIADMK. He said that once Palaniswami reveals the names of the DMK MLAs who were in discussions with the AIADMK, then he would disclose the names of the AIADMK MLAs who were in touch with the DMK.

To the allegations by Palaniswami that Udayanidhi Stalin, the son of M.K. Stalin, was calling the shots in the DMK, Bharathi said that Udayanidhi was only doing the role of an MLA. He rebuked Palaniswami and asked him as to how late Jayalalithaa brought Sasikala to the Tamil Nadu Assembly.

Bharathi said that several AIADMK MLAs, including Palaniswami had "prostrated before Sasikala". Bharathi asked as to what authority Sasikala was calling shots as a de facto Chief Minister during the AIADMK regime.