Dinakaran discusses 'merger' with imprisoned Sasikala

Ousted All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) deputy general secretary T.T.V. Dinakaran on Monday said that he will just 'sit back and see' what the party led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami is going to do in coming weeks, over the speculated merger with the faction led by former Chief Minsiter O. Panneerselvam.

"They are just talking and talking, nothing has happened in past 45 days. I came and told this to our General Secretary (Sasikala), she told that they will be given two months of time. Let them complete the merger we will give them time, after that we will take action as per the instruction given by our General Secretary," he said after meeting his aunt VK Sasikala at a jail in Bengaluru.

He further said that the MLAs of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) have no fear in their mind and hearts expect for few, and rest are taking the power of General Secretary in their hands.

Earlier in the day, Dinakaran reached Bengaluru's Parappana Agrahara jail to meet Sasikala who was jailed in February in a Disproportionate Assets (DA) case which was considered to be a first step towards reinstalling himself at the helm of the party.

In the morning, he even stressed that he remains number two in ruling party and it is his "duty" to unite the party.

A Delhi court on Thursday granted bail to Dinakaran and his aide Mallikarjun over allegedly bribing the Election Commission officials for the party's two leaves symbol.

The Tis Hazari court granted bail to the duo on personal bond of Rs. five lakh, however, they were asked to surrender their passports.

Sasikala appointed Dinakaran, her nephew, as her deputy before she went to jail to serve a four-year sentence for corruption.

He was sidelined by the party as it attempted a reunion with a rebel faction led by former Tamil Nadu chief minister O. Panneerselvam or OPS, whose main condition for a merger was that Sasikala and her family be kept away from the party and the government.