Defiant OPS Camp Says No Merger Till EPS Openly Distances Sasikala

If the merger between the EPS & OPS camps doesn’t happen, there is a possibility that the government may fall.

O Panneerselvam and E Palanisamy.

(Photo: The Quint)

The merger talks between two factions of the AIADMK have been on for several weeks, and leaders from both the O Panneerselvam (OPS) and Edappadi Palanisamy (EPS) camps have made multiple trips to New Delhi.

But the talks seem to have stalled over one point: EPS's reluctance to disown Sasikala openly. A leader close to OPS told The News Minute,

If EPS and other cabinet ministers can distance themselves from TTV Dhinakaran, why can’t they do the same with Sasikala? Till they do that, we cannot think of a merger. OPS’s struggle started with his rebellion against Sasikala. How can we expect him to work with her now?

Also Read: Dhinakaran Identifies as Jaya’s Heir, Shows Strength With 20 MLAs

Till last week, the merger talks had reached an impasse over the question of who will be the Chief Minister.

But after meeting the Prime Minister and others, the OPS camp's stand seems to have changed significantly. Instead of demanding the CM's chair for OPS, they now hint at a compromise.

If EPS is ready to disown Sasikala publicly, we too can make a sacrifice for the greater good of the party. CM or deputy CM aren’t posts we want to grab, and these are things we can compromise on.

OPS faction leader

While the two camps are busy with their internal discussions, the Deputy General secretary of AIADMK (Amma), TTV Dhinakaran has been making himself a force to reckon with.

At the Melur meeting held recently, Dhinakaran had 20 MLAs on stage with him. If the 20 MLAs continue to remain on his side, Dhinakaran has the numbers to bring down the government.

“Some ministers like Sreenivasan were handpicked by Sasikala to be treasurer of the party and he also fell at her feet. It is only based on the power given by Sasikala that he is functioning now. Let him resign from the post and then talk. He was nowhere to be found in the last 10 years,” Dhinakaran told the media on Wednesday.

Government May Fall if Merger Fails

If the merger between the EPS and OPS camps does not take place, there is a considerable possibility that the government may not be able to continue in office, depending on the numbers that Dhinakaran can sustain.

But with the general consensus being that fresh elections may help the DMK more than any other party or faction, it is uncertain if any of the three AIADMK factions would want to go ahead with it.

"Journalists are thinking like people sitting in a studio. Think like us or TTV. We are saying that if EPS insists on Sasikala, let the government fall, we won’t help. TTV Dhinakaran is thinking that these are people his aunt chose, and they backstabbed him. He would want to bring down the government. And his anger must be so intense that he won’t care even if someone like DMK’s MK Stalin becomes next CM, He just doesn’t want EPS," the leader from OPS camp said.

(This article was originally published on The News Minute.)

Also Read: Dhinakaran Calls EPS a ‘Cheat’ After AIADMK Slams His Appointment