Former chief minister O Panneerselvam said on Friday that an announcement regarding the merger of the two main factions of the AIADMK would be made later in the day.
On Thursday, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami announced that the government will order a probe into the death of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa and convert her Poes Garden residence into a memorial.
Following these announcements, Jayalalithaa’s niece, Deepa Jayakumar, said that her aunt’s residence belongs to her and her brother Deepak, and the government has no right to alter it.
Deepak has also written to Palaniswami asking that his and his sister’s consent be sought before the property is taken over, reminding him that his aunt hadn’t left a will, NDTV reported.
The letter, written last week, read, “I am legal heir to the property by a probated will of my grandma Mrs Sandhya (Jayalalithaa’s mother)… Though we may be willing to give the property to our aunty’s memorial, the government shall follow the procedures established under law before attempting to take over the private property without the consent of the heirs/owners. Myself and my sister Mrs Deepa are the only legal heirs under the Hindu Succession Act.”
The Panneerselvam faction laid out three conditions for a possible AIADMK merger: keeping out Sasikala and her family members, ordering a judicial probe into the death of Jayalalithaa, and converting her residence into a memorial.