Tamil Nadu turmoil: No merger until Sasikala, Dinakaran resign, says OPS camp

A day after several ministers discussed the modalities of a merger, placing the focus on redeeming the party’s frozen “Two Leaves” symbol, Sengottaiyan, Presidium Chairman of the AIADMK (Amma) camp and Higher Education Minister, held discussions with Palaniswami.

The by-poll, due on April 12, was postponed following allegations of cash distribution to voters on a massive scale by the ruling AIADMK.

Dhinakaran, who was expelled from the AIADMK by Jayalalithaa, was reinducted by Sasikala and appointed the party’s deputy general secretary just before she proceeded to Bengaluru to serve the remainder of her jail term after the Supreme Court upheld her conviction and sentence in a disproportionate assets case in February this year.

Earlier, the police had registered an FIR against the nephew of VK Sasikala (jailed general secretary of the party) for allegedly seeking a deal of Rs 60 crore from a middleman to get party’s election symbol (two leaves).

2 pm IST: Dinakaran now takes to Twitter to repeat what he had said earlier. Dinakaran was the party’s nominee for the election. “Making fresh demands on a daily basis will only block the merger talks”.

Munusamy also said that only Panneerselvam had the support of the people and the cadres and the rival camp was “afraid” that the majority of MLAs only favoured Panneerselvam for the Chief Minister’s post. They are protesting in Delhi.

While the efforts for the merger are in full-swing, O Panneerselvam camp toughened their stand demanding Sasikala’s resignation and calling for a CBI probe into Jayalalithaa’s death.

He also tries to assure harmony between the two factions. “All 30 members of the Sasikala family should be kept away from party affairs and an official statement should be issued”, he added.

Earlier in the day, Dinakaran said that since everyone had made a decision to keep him out of the party affairs, he had chose to stay out.

He adds: “They have taken the decision out of fear”.

“If approached, we are ready to sit and talk and I have confidence that they (leaders) will come (for talks)”, he told reporters at the airport here. “If these conditions are met, we will immediately start talks”, said former AIADMK minister Muniswamy. Will the EPS-OPS dynamics play out smooth and mark the end of Sasikala and family?

“The BJP is attempting to create confusion in AIADMK”.

Subsequently, Dhinakaran also shot down a proposal to give a post to Jeyanandh inyouth wing.

Both of them should also be dismissed from the AIADMK, he told the media.

8 am IST: The TN unit of the BJP weighs in on the issue.

Hinting that more leaders would join the Dinakaran camp, Sampath said, “In the coming two days, the AIADMK will emerge strongly under the leadership of Dinakaran”.

To a question whether rumours that Sasikala had given up her post as General Secretary of the AIADMK, Law Minister C Ve Shanmugham shot out saying it was “a pack of lies”. Their latest demand is that now they need proof for the ouster of Sasikala from AIADMK.