No progress on AIADMK merger as OPS camp demands proof that Sasikala and Dinakaran have quit
Senior party leader KP Munusamy alleged that the Sasikala faction was ‘staging a drama in the disguise of a merger’.
The two warring factions of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam have not yet made any progress on merger talks, almost 48 hours after the decision to sideline VK Sasikala and her family. There has also been no confirmation that Sasikala, who had been J Jayalalithaa’s longtime aide and the party’s general secretary, and her nephew TTV Dinakaran have resigned from the AIADMK.
Senior party leader KP Munusamy, who belongs to former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam’s camp, on Thursday said the other faction must get their resignations and issue a statement that the family has been removed from the party. The former minister alleged that the Sasikala faction was “staging a drama in the disguise of a merger”, reported The News Minute. “They claim to have removed Sasikala’s family but they have to take back the affidavit submitted to the Election Commission calling Sasikala [the party’s] general secretary and TTV Dhinakaran as deputy general secretary,” he added.
Munusamy also clarified that they were not eyeing the chief minister’s post. “We just want all our demands be met, including a judicial probe into Jayalalithaa’s death,” he said. Munuswamy added that the state government should request the Centre to order an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation, reported The Hindu.
The other faction, led by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, has been avoiding questions on Sasikala and Dinakaran’s resignations. Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai refused to answer when he was asked about it, according to The News Minute. Thambidurai on Wednesday had said that there was no question of a change in Tamil Nadu’s chief minister. He added since Palaniswami had the support of 124 MLAs, he would remain in charge.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister D Jayakumar, who had announced that Sasikala and Dhinakaran have been sidelined, said they did not make the decision because of the demand from the OPS camp. “If you leave it to OPS, he will say he elected [United States President Donald] Trump,” said Jayakumar. Asked about merger, Jayakumar said, “If they come, we are ready to talk.”
Panneerselvam had been petitioning against Sasikala since her meteoric rise to the top of the AIADMK. She had been set to replace him as chief minister till she was convicted in an illegal assets case in February. Her nephew Dinakaran also appears to be in legal trouble now, as the Delhi Police had booked him for trying to bribe the Election Commission to give his faction of the party the AIADMK symbol. A notice has been issued against him in case he tries to leave the country.