Palaniswami camp asks OPS to reconsider decision on merger

Chennai: After rebel leader O Panneerselvam disbanded a party panel to facilitate the merger of AIADMK factions, the Palaniswami camp's D Jayakumar on Monday asked him to reconsider the decision.

Jayakumar, a senior leader of the AIADMK Amma faction, said their stand remained the same, which is to hold talks and merge the two groups.

"They (Panneerselvam camp) should come back," he said adding only with that "intention" the doors were opened to them and that is the stand even today, he said.

He said the former chief minister-led faction "should reconsider it".

Jayakumar, who had asked his party's deputy general secretary T T V Dhinakaran to stick to his promise of staying away from the party affairs, said through the unification of the party, the state government will be strengthened.

Stating that "the party should be strengthened and Amma's regime should continue forever", he said it continued to be their stand.

Yesterday, Panneerselvam announced disbanding a party panel set up in April to hold talks and take forward the merger plan and said people were not in favour of a merger.

Today he accused the Palaniswami camp of "enacting dramas."

He said after the panels were constituted by the two sides to take forward the proposal "they (Palaniswami faction) continuously enacted dramas... We are not ready to stage dramas with them".

Neither constructive ideas nor action or confidence inspiring exchange of ideas happened to take the talks forward, the former chief minister told reporters here.

Panneerselvam said since people too were not in favour of a merger, the decision to disband the panel to facilitate the unification was announced yesterday.

Responding to a question, he said it would be proved soon that the "cadres are with us".

Targeting jailed AIADMK general secretary V K Sasikala and her deputy Dhinakaran, he said according to the party bye-laws only the presidium chairman and treasurer were authorised to steer the party in view of Jayalalithaa's death, who was the duly elected party chief.

On retrieving the party headquarters and the two-leaves symbol, he said the matter was pending with the Election Commission and a good decision was expected soon.

On a question about Jayalalithaa's niece Deepa trying to enter the late chief minister's Poes Garden residence, Panneerselvam said they considered the place a "temple".

While it was the view of the people and cadres that it should be made a memorial, we have to wait and see the legal position on the matter, he said.

He condemned the alleged attack on a television crew when Deepa entered the Poes Garden residence of the late AIADMK supremo.

To a question about which party will they support in the upcoming Presidential election, Panneerslevam said the party high command would take a decision after the nominees are announced.