The possibility of merger talks between the AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma) and AIADMK (Amma) factions looks grim, with the Panneerselvam camp likely to up the ante again on Friday, if sources are to be believed.
The AIADMK (PTA) is unhappy over the district secretaries of the party reportedly being asked to sign an affidavit expressing support to Sasikala by the Edappadi K. Palaniswami camp. A meeting of the district secretaries has been on at the AIADMK headquarters since Thursday.
This has irked the OPS camp. “Yes...this is happening. A number of MLAs on the other side are now ready to support OPS. We will announce our next course of action at a press conference on Friday,” a leader in the AIADMK (PTA) and a member of the committee told The Hindu. When asked what the action would be, the source said they were now thinking of taking an anti-government position if things did not change “in the next 12 hours”.
When asked further if there was a possibility of the talks not happening at all, the leader said, “Let’s see. We will wait for 12 hours.”
Earlier on Thursday, ‘MaFoi’ K. Pandiarajan, one of the committee members for the merger talks in OPS’s camp, said that talks would not proceed till the preconditions — Sasikala and her family’s ouster and the demand for CBI enquiry into Jayalalithaa's death — were met.
On Wednesday, former minister and leader of the merger talks committee in OPS’s camp, struck a conciliatory note and said the taking down of the banners of Sasikala from the party headquarters was a welcome first step. “But this conducive atmosphere needs to become more conducive for talks to happen,” he had said.
