The stage is set for a possible merger of the Amma and the Puratchi Thalaivi Amma (PTA) factions of the AIADMK after Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) on Thursday announced a judicial probe into the death of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. A commission headed by a retired High Court Judge would probe the factors leading to the death of the late AIADMK chief.
Palaniswami also declared that Jayalalithaa’s residence Veda Nilayam in Chennai’s Poes Garden would be turned into a memorial as a mark of respect to the Amma. These were two of the three major demands put forward by former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam (OPS) for a possible merger of the two warring factions.
The Amma faction headed by Palaniswami had last week removed TTV Dinakaran as AIADMK deputy general secretary, a post given to him hastily by VK Sasikala, the general secretary of the party, as she headed to jail in Bengaluru after being convicted for corruption. Dinakaran claims the support of more than 20 MlAs.
Sources in both the Amma and the PTA factions said the announcement by Palaniswami has cleared the path for their merger. “Once the merger is over, the General Council of the party would be convened to elect Panneerselvam as general secretary of the party. The rest is formality,” said one of the sources.
Speaking to reporters at Chennai on Thursday, the CM said a commission headed by a retired High Court Judge would be constituted soon to probe the facts which led to the death of Jayalalithaa. He said the decision has been taken based on representations received by his Government from various organisations.
Interestingly, Dinakaran had declared on Monday that he and his family were open for any probe into the death of Amma.
The Chief Minister also said that Veda Nilayam would be opened to the public to see how the late leader worked in a selfless manner for the upliftment of the poor.
Interestingly,Veda Nilayam, Jayalalithaa’s farmhouse in a Chennai suburb, her Hyderabad castle and the Kodnadu estate are all under the control of the Sasikala family after the passing away of Jayalalithaa. The fleet of high-end SUVs owned by the late Chief Minister is being used by the Sasikala clan.
With the CM’s announcement, the stage is set for a merger between the OPS and EPS factions of the AIADMK. The announcement comes within days of the Melur rally held by Dinakaran which was attended by 20 MlAs. This has put a question mark on the stability of the Palaniswami Government, which is surviving on a wafer thin majority in the House.
MK Stalin, the DMK working president, who is also the leader of the Opposition, has declared that his party would bring in a no-confidence motion against the Government. Dinakaran hinted that the longevity of the EPS Government was doubtful going by the style of functioning of the Government.
Reacting to the latest announcement by the Chief Minister, K Pandiarajan, one of the prominent faces of the OPS faction, said that it was a victory of the war of dharma being fought by Panneerselvam.
“Time to transparently negotiate for a merger,” Pandiarajan tweeted. The response of Panneerselvam was not known even at the time of going to Press.
Though the two factions may merge, the AIADMK may have to work hard to regain the goodwill of the people which the warring factions squandered over the last six months, according to keen AIADMK observers.
“The intentions of Sasikala and Dinakaran are also crucial for the survival of the Palaniswami Government. After the chaos which prevailed in the party for some months immediately after the passing away of party founder MGR in 1987, the AIADMK has never seen this kind of a no-holds-barred internal war in the party,” said a veteran scribe following the AIADMK for the last three decades.