All demands must be fulfilled before any merger: AIADMK's OPS faction

K.P. Munnuswamy of the OPS faction of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam ( AIAMDK) on 19 August said that all demands must be fulfilled before any talks of a merger with the OPS faction of the party take place.

He said that this would include the completion of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe in former chief minister J. Jayalalithaa's death and the eviction of Sasikala's family from party.

"Fulfill demands before anything (CBI probe in Jaya's death and eviction of Sasikala's family from party)," Munnuswamy told the media.

The much-anticipated merger of the two warring factions of AIADMK hit a last-minute roadblock late on Friday.

According to reports, Tamil Nadu chief minister E. Palanisamy and his predecessor O. Panneerselvam were expected to make a joint appearance at Jayalalithaa's memorial in Chennai and announce the merger.

The security was also stepped up at the Jayalalithaa mausoleum at Marina Beach late in the evening.

The leaders of both the factions, however, started to leave the venue, hinting towards a disruption of the talks again.

Party sources said there were few issues that were to be addressed by both groups, but didn't elaborate further. 

-ANI