AIADMK merger: Talks go nowhere, committees yet to meet

The talks between the two factions of the AIADMK is going nowhere and Panneerselvam camp cancelling their press meet on Saturday was indicative of the same. Once again, the camps have reached no point of conclusion to decide on the course of talks. Committees formed by both factions are yet to come face to face to discuss the merger, however, backdoor talks have been underway for weeks now.

While Dinakaran's arrest came as a relief to the Panneerselvam camp it led to further confusion in the Edappadi Palanisamy camp. With ministers loyal to the Sasikala Natarajan family solidly backing Dinakaran, the merger talks have reached a catch-22 situation. The primary concern of all backdoor negotiations has been for the posts of party's chief secretary and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister.

Sources from the Edappadi Palanisamy camp allege that the Panneerselvam camp had started making fresh demands after Dinakaran's arrest. Realising that Dinakaran has much lesser sway over the AIADMK Amma camp, the OPS faction is now demanding both, the general secretary as well as the Chief Minister's post.

The argument of the Panneerselvam camp is that the party has no tradition of a dual power centre. The party and the government have historically been led by one person and Panneerselvam wants to continue the same. This proposal, however, is not acceptable for the Edappadi Palanisamy camp which has already yielded to demands of ousting Sasikala Natarajan.

OneIndia News