New Delhi: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswami hit out at AIADMK Deputy General Secretary TTV Dinakaran on Friday, calling him a '420'. Addressing the media after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national capital over a host of issues including the AIADMK merger, Palaniswami said that the party will sail through if the DMK brings a no-confidence motion against them in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. With E Palaniswami hitting out at Dinakaran, it looks like the merger with the faction of former Tamil Nadu chief minister O Panneerselvam may be taking shape soon.

Earlier on Thursday, EPS had also met top party leaders in Chennai amidst reports of a merger with the OPS faction. At the meeting, it was decided that VK Sasikala’s appointment was “temporary, till the election of a new chief”. The leaders also reached a conclusion that the appointment of Sasikala’s nephew TTV Dinakaran as AIADMK Deputy General Secretary was illegal. Reports say Panneerselvam is also planning to oust Team Sasikala from the party as he is planning to seek Election Commission’s intervention in deciding jailed V Sasikala’s role in the party. With this, the onus will be on the poll panel to ascertain whether she would remain the General Secretary of the united AIADMK.

OPS and EPS, who were in Delhi for the swearing-in ceremony of Venkaiah Naidu as Vice President, are likely announce the merger between the two factions of the AIADMK soon. There were reports that the two would meet PM Modi before they seal the merger. Reports also indicate that Panneerselvam will take oath as the Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and is likely to get major portfolios.

Earlier this week, the OPS camp reiterated its conditions on going ahead with the merger. The OPS camp has demanded a probe into late chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s death as well as the removal of the Mannargudi family (Sasikala and Dinakaran) from the party. The camp has also reportedly demanded that OPS be made the Chief Minister even as that may not happen as EPS continues to be the CM.

Reports say that the EPS and OPS camp will meet over the weekend and decide on the details of the merger. According to reports, the merger talks have been initiated by the Bharatiya Janata Party that is playing peacemaker between the two factions. A meeting with PM Modi on Friday, say reports, will in a way seal the deal between the factions.

OPS had turned rebel in earlier this year when Sasikala was convicted in the disproportionate assets case. OPS, who was the then chief minister, hit out at Sasikala also questioning her over Jayalalithaa’s death. Following this, Sasikala removed OPS as the Chief Minister and EPS took over. This led to two factions in the AIADMK as many Sasikala loyalists also turned rebel and joined OPS.