Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, O. Panneerselvam, also handling finance portfolio, presented the State budget 2018-19 in the Assembly on Thursday. There were no new taxes in the Tamil Nadu budget for the year 2018-19, but OPS made a slew of announcements worth thousands of crores of rupees in the budget. Panneerselvam presented a budget that projected a revenue… Continue reading "OPS presents tax-free budget, DMK stages walkout"
A day after AIADMK leader TTV Dinakaran met aunt and party chief V K Sasikala in Bengaluru jail, more than 20 party MLAs from the Edapaddi Palaniswani (EPS) camp met Dinakaran at his residence on Tuesday. According to a Sasikala loyalist, VP Kalairajan, as many as 29 MLAs so far met Dinakaran. Kalairajan affirmed that Dinakaran is still the deputy… Continue reading "As 29 MLAs meet Dinakaran, CM & OPS go into huddle"
The two factions of the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu- AIADMK Amma led by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and AIADMK PTA headed by his predecessor O Panneerselvam-vied with each other in inviting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the birth centenary celebrations of AIADMK founder M G Ramchandran, popularly called as MGR. Palaniswami submitted a letter requesting him to unveil the… Continue reading "Edappadi’s or OPS’: Whose function Modi will attend?"
DMK working president M K Stalin launched a frontal attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not granting him an appointment. “As the Leader of the Opposition, I convened an all-party meeting to discuss the problems of farmers and sought an appointment with the Prime Minister. If he is not ready to meet members of an all-party delegation, I am… Continue reading "Why just meet OPS, not me: Stalin to Modi"
Former Tamil Nadu chief minister O Panneerselvam met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday to discuss state-specific issues, including pending Central funds. “There were no discussions on politics of the state, however, I put forth state-specific issues including funds that has been pending for the state,” he said, adding that a memorandum in this regard has been submitted to the… Continue reading "OPS meets Modi, seeks funds for TN"
Throwing a fresh bombshell at the opposite camp, former minister Semmalai has said the faction led by former chief minister O Panneerselvam has the support of 15 ministers and 35 MLAs. The leaders of the rebel AIADMK group led by Panneerselvam, are gearing up for a show of strength in Salem, the home turf of chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami,… Continue reading "OPS has support of 15 ministers, 35 MLAs: Semmalai"
AIADMK’s rebel faction, led by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, may cancel merger talks with the Chief Minister E Palaniswami camp if their key demands were not met, sources said. Virtually setting a deadline till Tuesday for merger talks with the rival faction, Panneerselvam is set to launch a statewide tour from May 5. Panneerselvam has planned to… Continue reading "AIADMK merger: OPS team sets final deadline"
AIADMK (Amma) leader and Finance Minister D. Jayakumar has accused leaders of the rival AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma) of expressing contradictory opinions on the proposed merger of the two factions. Nonetheless, he invited the rival faction for talks and hoped to settle all issues. Jayakumar pointed out that Panneerselvam had said “conducive atmosphere” prevailed for the merger talks, but others,… Continue reading "Rift widens between OPS-EPS camps, no signs for merger talks"
S Semmalai, a senior leader from the Panneerselvam-led AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma) camp who held a meeting with the party’s office-bearers in Salem district, told reporters: “Cadres wish that we should not join hands with the Palaniswami faction.” He insisted that merger talks could begin only after their demands—a formal ouster of V.K. Sasikala, her nephew T.T.V. Dinakaran and other… Continue reading "Minister supports OPS becoming CM, ex-Min says cadre don’t want patch-up"
It seems the merger between the two factions of the AIADMK is not going to be that easy, with both camps lashing out at each other. Rebel group led by former O Panneerselvam on Thursday made it clear that talks will be held only if the group headed by chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami officially removes jailed V K Sasikala and… Continue reading "OPS, EPS teams slam each other as patch-up plans go awry"