Chennai: Both the factions of the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam have been sending feelers to each other over the last few days, raising the possibility of an AIADMK merger.
A unification would mean AIADMK general secretary V.K. Sasikala—serving a sentence in a disproportionate assets case—and her nephew T.T.V. Dinakaran, and her entire family would be kept away from party affairs, said two people aware of the matter.
Dinakaran is the deputy general secretary of the party.
“It is the influence of Sasikala’s family over the party that is actually delaying the coming together of the two factions,” said a senior leader of the AIADMK.
Dinakaran, however, has denied reports that ministers and senior leaders of the AIADMK had approached him, asking him to step down. “It was on the occasion of the Tamil New Year (Friday) and they were all here to wish me,” he said on Monday morning.
“We are ready for talks about the merger, but no one (has) approached us,” former Tamil Nadu CM O. Panneerselvam said later on Monday.
Lok Sabha deputy speaker and AIADMK MP M. Thambidurai welcomed Panneerselvam’s comment. “We are united and there is no split in the party. There is only difference of opinion,” said Thambidurai after meeting Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi K. Palaniswami at the secretariat. “If Panneerselvam is open to a merger, we welcome it.”
Panneerselvam had in February rebelled against Sasikala, alleging that he was forced to resign so that she becomes the chief minister of the state. Since then, the ruling party of Tamil Nadu has been in a disarray.
The by-elections to R.K. Nagar assembly constituency—necessitated following J. Jayalalithaa’s death on 5 December—simply worsened matters.
In an interim order last month, Election Commission (EC) ruled neither faction of the AIADMK could use the party name and symbol in the by-election slated for 12 April.
The R.K. Nagar bypolls, however, were rescinded after I-T raids at health minister C. Vijayabaskar’s properties in an alleged cash-for-votes scam.
That, and the recent allegations that Dinakaran bribed EC officials to be allotted AIADMK’s two-leaves symbol have mounted pressure on the Sasikala camp.
“Such allegations are being spread to destroy the name of the party,” said Dinakaran, before leaving for Bengaluru to meet Sasikala lodged at the Parappana Agrahara Central Jail. “I don’t know who is planning such things.” He reiterated that if the rebel leaders “realize their mistakes and decide to come back to the parent party, we are always ready to welcome them”.
More calls for AIADMK merger
In late night developments Monday, AIADMK ministers confirmed they were in favour of a merger of the two warring factions of the party.
“We welcome Panneerselvam’s statement regarding the merger. Discussions were held regarding this,” said D. Jayakumar, state minister for finance and fisheries, after a more than an hour-long meeting at the residence of state electricity minister P. Thangamani.
Jayakumar said the leaders discussed on filing affidavits to the Election Commission (EC) to retrieve the party’s two leaves symbol. “We will stay united to get back the tw leaves symbol.”
For a question on the continuation of Sasikala and Dinakaran in their respective posts in the party, Jayakumar said, “We didn’t decide anything related to that. We will discuss after Dinakaran’s return from Bengaluru.”