Merger talks between the two factions of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, led by O Panneerselvam and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, are apparently headed towards a fallout, reported NDTV. The former Tamil Nadu chief minister’s camp has issued an ultimatum to Palaniswami’s faction to fulfill their demands by Tuesday evening. If the demands are not met, the OPS faction will disband the seven-member committee it had formed for merger talks, the report said.
Panneerselvam’s faction had placed two demands before the ruling camp – the expulsion of AIADMK General Secretary VK Sasikala and her nephew TTV Dinakaran from the party, and a CBI inquiry into late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s death.
Panneerselvam on Monday had claimed that Palaniswami and his group had not yet taken back the affidavits they had submitted to the Election Commission claiming the “two leaves” symbol, in which Sasikala was named the party’s general secretary, reported The Indian Express. “How can we trust the EPS camp?” Panneerselvam said on Monday.
Palaniswami, who had earlier announced that Sasikala and Dinakaran would be sidelined, seemed to be running out of patience. “Ours is a running government and we have full support of 123 MLAs. And 90% of the party’s office bearers were with our party,” Palaniswami said during a meeting with party cadres on Sunday, according to Hindustan Times.
Meanwhile, the former Chief Minister Panneerselvam has also announced a Tamil Nadu tour starting May 5 ahead of the local body elections scheduled in the state.
In April, the OPS faction had accused the leaders of the other side of making “loose statements”. “The Edappadi Palaniswami camp should exercise restraint after agreeing to talks,” OPS supporter KP Munusamy had said.
Tamil Nadu has witnessed a massive political turmoil since Jayalalithaa’s death on December 5 last year. Panneerselvam has been fighting against Sasikala’s rapid rise to the top ranks of the AIADMK. She was set to take over as chief minister till the Supreme Court convicted her in a disproportionate assets case, after which Palaniswami had taken over following a dramatic vote in the Assembly.
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