Tamil Nadu School Education Minister and senior AIADMK (Amma) leader KA Sengottaiyan on August 15, 2017, said the much-anticipated merger of the two factions of the ruling party would happen soon Sengottaiyan denied that the BJP was playing a key role in the merger He said that discussions are also going on with regards to the conditions laid down by O Panneerselvam's faction
The talks of merger between AIADMK (Amma) and AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma) factions are getting stronger by the day. Tamil Nadu School Education Minister and senior AIADMK (Amma) leader KA Sengottaiyan on August 15, 2017, said the much-anticipated merger of the two factions of the ruling party would happen soon.
“There is a chance of the two factions led by O Panneerselvam and Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami merging soon. You can expect that soon,” he told reporters in Chennai.
Asked whether the Panneerselvam faction’s demands have been met, the Tamil Nadu School Education Minister said discussions were going on in that regard.
Sengottaiyan also denied that the BJP was playing a key role in the merger. He said that discussions are on over the merger and they will come to a decision soon. “The two factions will unite. There need not be any apprehension,” he added.
The AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma) faction led by O Panneerselvam had set a probe into the death of late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and removal of jailed AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala and her family members from the party as preconditions for talks with the AIADMK (Amma) camp.
AIADMK has missed a few deadlines in merging as one single party, the latest one being the August 15 deadline. Chief Minister K Palaniswami-led Amma faction challenged the authority of its Deputy General Secretary TTV Dhinakaran, which was hailed by the OPS faction. Dhinakaran’s appointment was against party rules in the meeting. However, the merger did not come through since the leaders of the two factions were travelling.
(With inputs from PTI)
