The merger of the two opposing factions of the ruling party is proving ever more complicated, with a section of MLAs headed by former Minister Thoppu N.D. Venkatachalam said to be making plans of their own.
Though describing themselves as being part of Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s camp, Mr. Venkatachalam and his supporters feel that they have been unjustly sidelined from powerful party posts.
“So long as Amma (Jayalalithaa) was alive, she did not offer any position to Mr. K.A. Sengottaiyan, and encouraged Mr. Venkatachalam. Now, Sengottaiyan is back and we are being sidelined,” said a supporter of Mr. Venkatachalam.
Although the former minister and his supporters say they still favour a merger, they doubt whether both sides are serious about the prospects for the party’s reunification.
“The government is not able to handle any issue properly. It is not able to control people who ransack government-run shops,” said a party leader siding with the former minister.
