- Tamil Nadu CM creates seven-member committee to hold talks with OPS
- OPS camp says no merger talks till Sasikala, Dhinakaran submit their resignations
- Dhinakaran has been asked to appear before Delhi Police on Saturday in the EC bribery case
- Ruling AIADMK ousts VK Sasikala and party’s Deputy General Secretary TTV Dhinakaran
- Possibility of a merger between the two AIADMK factions on cards
- OPS claims “first victory” after Sasikala, Dhinakaran’s expulsion
- Dhinakaran said he “stepped aside” from his post in interest of the party
Tamil Nadu CM Forms Panel to Hold Talks With OPS Faction
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palanisamy on Friday formed a seven-member committee to hold merger talks with the O Panneerselvam faction.
It will be headed by Rajya Sabha MP R Vaithilingam and includes ministers C Sreenivasan, KA Sengottaiyan, D Jayakumar, among others.
According to CNN-News18, the ruling AIADMK is ready for a CBI probe into former CM Jayalalithaa’s death, which was also one of Panneerselvam camp’s demands ahead of a merger.
It also said that Palanisamy is likely to retain his CM chair, while Panneerselvam may hold the party’s general secretary post.
'No Talks Till Sasikala, Dhinakaran Submit Resignations'
On Thursday, following a meeting of MLAs and MPs, who pledged allegiance to former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, senior leader KP Munusamy announced that there could be no talks until Sasikala and TTV Dhinakaran submitted their resignations.
The camp also demanded that the EPS faction inform the Election Commission that Sasikala and Dhinakaran no longer head the party, and that the state government push for a CBI-led investigation into Jayalalithaa’s death.
In response, the rival faction said it has no conditions to start talks for the merger.
We impose no conditions. We are ready to hold talks with OPS faction on merger. Let’s all work together to retrieve the Two-Leaf symbol.R Vaithilingam, senior leader of EPS camp
Charges Framed Against Dhinakaran in FERA Case
An economic offences court on Wednesday framed charges against Dhinakaran in a FERA violation case as the Madras High Court refused to quash it along with another similar case.
Justice V Bharathidasan refused to call back the two FERA violation cases against the AIADMK leader, that the judge had remitted earlier to the economic offences court for trial.
Justice Bharathidasan before whom Dhinakaran’s recall plea came up for hearing on Wednesday, made it clear that the order cannot be recalled “as it never suffered nullity”. At this, the counsel for Dhinakaran sought withdrawal of the recall plea, which was allowed to be withdrawn as “dismissed”.
With the framing of charges by the court, Dinakaran now stands formally indicted in the Dipper investment case in which he has been accused by the Enforcement Directorate of transferring $1 crore illegally.
The economic offences court is likely to frame charges against him in the second FERA case pertaining to Barclay’s Bank, where Dhinakaran has been charged with transferring around Rs 37.6 crore illegally.
Dhinakaran Asked to Appear Before Delhi Police on 22 April
TTV Dhinakaran has been asked to appear before the Crime Branch of Delhi Police on Saturday in a case of alleged bribery to EC officials for retrieving the party’s ‘two leaves’ symbol.
The Delhi Police had on Wednesday night served summons to him in the case.
Assistant Commissioner Sanjay and another official served the summons to Dhinakaran at his Besant Nagar residence in Chennai.