After the issue of coming together took a slump on Thursday, the two factions of the AIADMK - the AIADMK Amma (led by Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisami) and the AIADMK Puratchi Thalaivi Amma (led by former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam) on Friday softened their stand with both sides announcing the formation of a committee for merger talks and the other saying it will also do so.
The AIADMK Puratchi Thalaivi Amma faction headed by former chief minister O. Panneerselvam announced a seven-member committee for negotiations with the Palaniswami faction.
The committee members are K.P. Munusamy, Mafoi K. Pandiyarajan, Ponnaiyan, Manoj Pandian, J C D Prabhakar, Natham R. Viswanathan, and V Maitreyan.
Vaithilingam and co to hold talks on behalf of Palaniswami camp
The AIADMK Amma faction announces a committee under its senior leader and Rajya Sabha member R. Vaithilingam to oversee talks with the other side.
Responding to the Palanisami faction’s olive branch, the Panneerselvam camp says it too will form a panel for reunion talks. Former Minister and senior leader of the faction K.P. Munusamy tells the media that the members the panel will be announced later.
The AIADMK Amma's decision followed a meeting attended by senior Ministers and other leaders and chaired by the Chief Minister at the AIADMK headquarters.
Local Administration Minister S.P. Velumani says he cannot divulge other details. “The Chief Minister has said Vaithilingam will be here at the party office. We will join him as and when required. As far as we are concerned, we want to redeem the ‘Two Leaves’ symbol and remain united,” he tells reporters.
The common feeling in the faction was that there should be unity in the party “founded by MGR and taken forward by Amma [Jayalalithaa],“ he says. “We have now told clearly that there is a committee. The next course of action will be decided if they [the Panneerselvam camp] contact us,” he added.
Law Minister C. Ve. Shanmugam, who attended the meeting, says, “We are transparent and open-minded“. Members of both factions “had worked together in the past and we are ready to sit and resolve differences”, he observes.
Conditions for talks
The Panneerselvam camp had set some conditions for talks. It had insisted that the eviction of V.K. Sasikala, her nephew T.T.V. Dhinakaran and more than two dozen other members of her family from the party was essential for the talks to begin.
It also insisted that a CBI inquiry be instituted into the death of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and that Mr. Palanisami make such a recommendation to the Centre.
New party
Meanwhile, yet another new political party has been floated in the State. This time by the husband of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s niece J. Deepa, Madhavan. Mr. Madhavan launched MGR Jayalalithaa Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MJDMK)
AIADMK factions have surrendered before BJP: Stalin
Alleging that both the factions of the AIADMK had surrendered and prostrated themselves before the BJP government at the Centre, DMK working president M.K. Stalin said they were looking at a merger only as a means to escape punishment for their corrupt dealings. Read the full interview here.
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