Attempts At AIADMK Merger Fail, Panneerselvam Camp Makes Decisive Move

Chennai: O Panneerselvam (OPS), leader of the rebel camp in AIADMK, has dissolved the seven member committee he had set up to work out modalities for merger with the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edapadi Palaniswami (EPS) faction. Mr Panneerselvam announced this at his rally in Thiruvallur district on Sunday.

The OPS camp, which presently has 12 MPs and 11 legislators, also said that the EPS faction has not honoured their demands of expelling party chief VK Sasikala and her nephew TTV Dinakaran. 

"EPS camp hasn't met our two key demands: to expel Sasikala and Dinakaran. They've not sought CBI probe into Jayalalithaa's death," said Rajya Sabha lawmaker V Maitreyan, who was a member of the now dissolved committee.

The committee was formed on the 21st of April but had not met the even once with the other faction.

AIADMK fractured into two following Jayalalithaa's death in December as its chief VK Sasikala tried to appropriate the Chief Ministership from Mr Panneerselvam before her conviction in a corruption case. Before her incarceration, Ms Sasikala appointed EPS, who many see as her proxy, as Tamil Chief Minister and her nephew Dinakaran as the party's number two. 

The Election Commission froze the party's two-leaves symbol after both sides staked claim for it, saying they represent the original AIADMK. In April, Mr Dinakaran was arrested on charges of bribing Election Commission officials to get control of the symbol.

Since his release from prison last week, Mr Dinakaran - who had stepped aside from the party to pave way for a merger - has begun to assert his position. He met nearly 20 legislators of the EPS camp on Thursday. 

"Even 45 days after I left, the merger hasn't happened. Now I should save the party and the government," he said, after his release from jail.