Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday and discussed the political situation in the state, including the possibility of the merger of AIADMK factions.
Speaking to the media, he said he had detailed discussions with the Prime Minister on the prevailing political situation, the stance of Tamil Nadu government headed by E Palaniswami, and the problems faced by the state.
Asked if it would be right to speculate that the merger of the two AIADMK factions headed by him and the Chief Minister came up for discussion, Panneerselvam said,
You can speculate whatever you want.
Asked about the possibility of AIADMK's merger, Panneerselvam said whatever decision he would take would be in the interest of the people of Tamil Nadu, and in accordance with the thinking of the party cadre.
Prevailing atmosphere in the state under the present regime, feeling of AIADMK cadres and opinion of the public has been expressed to the PM. Decisions which suit the best interest of the people of the state will be taken.
However, he refused to divulge the nitty gritty of the discussion, particularly after the AIADMK Amma faction, led by Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami, “delegitimised” TTV Dhinakaran's position in the party, moving a step forward for merger of both camps.
“Demeaning to Say PM Involved in AIADMK Affairs”
The O Panneerselvam faction of the AIADMK on Monday quashed speculation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's involvement in solving internal issues of the party, and said it would be "demeaning" to think so.
It will be demeaning to say that the PM is involved in solving the internal affairs of another political party.V Maitreyan, AIADMK MP
Ever since the AIADMK broke into two factions, representatives of both the camps have been meeting PM Modi and other top brass of the BJP, giving space for speculation that the saffron party was meddling with internal issues of the AIADMK.
Notably, Tamil Nadu CM Palaniswami had also met PM Modi on Friday. Later, he had said that only talks related to the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test took place in the meeting.
(With inputs from PTI, IANS)
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