Palaniswami faction clearing the path for unifying AIADMK?

Chennai: Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Thursday led senior leaders of the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam to oppose the appointment of T.T.V. Dhinakaran as deputy general secretary, a move that seemingly put the party’s rival factions on a merger path. The general secretary Sasikala appointed me as the deputy general secretary and only she has the power to remove me.” But Panneerselvam told reporters, “They have just fulfilled half of our demands, let the rest also be fulfilled.” He was on his way to New Delhi to attend the swearing-in of Venkaiah Naidu as vice-president, an event that will also be attended by Palaniswami. A resolution signed by 27 office-bearers of the AIADMK on Thursday ruled Dhinakaran’s recent move to appoint new office-bearers as invalid, and added that the appointment of Dhinakaran as deputy general secretary was not acceptable. However, the Election Commission in a reply to an RTI application from the Panneerselvam camp, has clarified that the Commission is yet to accept Sasikala as general secretary of the party.