Chennai: With the Presidential elections over and Vice President question settled, the BJP has begun all out efforts to unify the AIADMK which has split into three factions after the death of its charismatic leader J Jayalalithaa in December last year.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday spent nearly 30 minutes with former chief minister O Panneerselvam and his close aides despite his busy Parliament schedule apparently to discuss the political situation in Tamil Nadu and the need for the AIADMK factions to unite.
Under the garb of fighting for the state’s exemption from NEET, Mr Panneerselvam arrived in the capital on Sunday, while chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami reached New Delhi on Monday and is expected to meet Mr Modi on Tuesday after Ram Nath Kovind swears in as President of India.
And the speculation that the BJP was involved in unifying the factions gave more credence with OPS’ close confidante V Maitreyan proclaiming in Kancheepuram on Sunday that the “Mahabharata” in the party would come to an end in August and the New Delhi trip by Mr Panneerselvam would lay the foundation for the “victory of the Pandavas (OPS team).”
Though an official release from OPS camp said he discussed about NEET and Neduvasal hydrocarbon project, it is believed that the meeting was more about the political situation in the state.
While official merger talks between the OPS and EPS teams never took off, back channel negotiations have also not yielded any results so far.
Sources say the major difference between the two factions was on the question of who would occupy the chief minister’s chair. One theory that is floating around is Mr Palaniswami would continue as the chief minister while Mr Panneerselvam would be his deputy in the government and lead a committee that would look after the party affairs.
“While the OPS team still claims that they should be given the chief minister’s post since they enjoy maximum support, they should also remember the fact that they are losing the ground. CM is not ready to give up his post and OPS can be his deputy which would ensure his standing in the party and the government,” a senior leader in the camp said.
The leader said the OPS camp should also understand that immediate elections are not good for both factions since it would only give an advantage to the DMK.
Sources in the BJP said efforts were on to unify the AIADMK since the party feels the current political situation should not derail the government and provide an advantageous position to the Opposition.
