AIADMK groups will merge before August 15: Veeramani

Speaking to reporters after emerging out of the meeting chaired by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, he also stated that an accord had been reached between the factions and that former chief minister O Panneerselvam would be given the deputy CM’s post and that of president, party guidance committee, while two AIADMK (PTA) MLAs would be accommodated as ministers. 

A total of 27 party functionaries signed the statement about Dinakaran that was released to the media on Thursday. As only those nominated by late chief minister J Jayalalithaa were eligible to sign, both School Education Minister KA Sengottaiyan and Forest Minister Dindigul C Sreenivasan, appointed as presidium chairman and party treasurer by jailed general secretary VK Sasikala, were not empowered to sign. 

When asked for their comments, OPS supporter and MP V Maitreyan said he had not heard anything about such developments. Former minister KP Munusamy said, “They accepted TTV Dinakaran earlier and now they say they are removing him.” Stating that OPS was a man of principles, he said that merger was possible only if their conditions of inquiry into Jayalalithaa’s death and ouster of Sasikala’s family were met. “OPS cannot be made to cow down by offering him posts,” he added. 

Dinakaran supporter and AIADMK Karnataka secretary V Pughazhendi said, “The time has come for us to take an important decision. The governor might have to visit Tamil Nadu soon.” 

Meanwhile, Perambur MLA and Dinakaran supporter P Vetrivel, who created a flutter by being the lone Dinakaran supporter to turn up for the meeting called by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palnaiswami at the party HQ on Thursday, said that he came to the meeting as he received a threatening phone call in the morning, which said that he would suffer physical harm if he came to the meeting. 

Talking to DTNext, he said, “I wanted to see who would have the guts to touch me and so I came to the party office, went inside, sat outside the meeting chamber (I am not eligible to participate as I am only a district secretary and not a HQ functionary) for half an hour, had a cup of tea and then went home.”