O Panneerselvam now under ‘Y’ category security, merger talks delayed

This followed a delegation of party MPs owing allegiance to his camp meeting Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and urging him to enhance the security cover for O Panneerselvam as he faced threats allegedly from the ruling AIADMK Amma camp led by the now side-lined VK Sasikala clan.

The Centre has given its nod and the OPS has come under ‘Y’ category security from today.

This meant that 12 armed CRPF personnel with four personnel each in three shifts would provide round the clock security to him.

It may be recalled that now both the warring factions have agreed for a patch up and stay united to restore the AIADMK's Two leaves symbol and to continue Amma's rule for the next four years. 

After the OPS camp set conditions sacking of Sasikala and her nephew from the party and their family and a CBI inquiry into former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's death, the ruling camp had decided to keep away TTV Dinakaran from the party affairs and the latter responded by saying that he had decided to 'stay away' from the party.

Sasikala was already in jail and that the call on CBI probe into Jayalalithaa’s death would be taken after the Madras High Court delivered its order on the PIL filed in this regard.

Both the teams have formed committees to hold patch up talks for the merger of the two factions, but it seems to have hit a road block with both of them talking tough and the ruling AIADMK Amma calling for a meeting of the Party district secretaries for three days from Wednesday in the city.