Chennai: In what can be construed as a setback to the merger process, said to be underway, to unite the two AIADMK factions, both the warring sides have traded corruption charges on Thursday.

The onslaught against the chief minister Edapaddi Planaisami camp was led by Rajya Sabha MP Dr V Maitreyan, who dubbed the chief minister and his government as corrupt. Maitreyan was the first AIADMK leader to join OPS after his revolt against Sasikla and her family.

Interestingly., Maitreyan’s comments come a day after DMK working president MK Stalin questioned the selective fight against corruption of the BJP. The BJP and the central government had remained silent when MLAs were coerced and kept confined in Koovathur, Stalin said.

His sentiments were echoed even by former chief minister O Panneerselvam who too felt that the MLAs inside the Koovathur resort outside Chennai should also have been raided.

Maitreyan said “supporting the Palaniswami government is an injustice meted out to the people of Tamil Nadu. When OPS was asked about Maitreyan’s comments, the former chief minister told reporters that what was said by his Rajya Sabha colleague was right.

The ruling faction of the AIADMK refused to take the charges lying down. State law minister C.Ve.Shanmugam said “Panneerselvam has no right to speak about the government. In fact, he should explain his links with mining baron Sekhar Reddy.”

Reddy was raised by the enforcement directorate for alleged wrong doings. The trading of charges between the two factions comes on the eve of AIADMK party meet convened by TTB Dinakran, party deputy general secretary for tomorrow, Friday at party headquarters.

He has even declared that “no merger was going to take place.” He is also said to be defiant and was likely to disregard any directive from the chief minister or other senior leaders on convening a meet. In fact, at a high level party and government meet, the EPS camp did not even invite Dinakaran.

The deputy general secretary visited his aunt VK Sasikala, general secretary of AIADMK, in Bengaluru central jail and is understood to have briefed her about the developments taking place in Chennai.

He is also said to have appraised her of the recent maneuvers of the BJP to rope in the ruling AIADMK into the NDA fold.

Dinakaran told media persons that “some of our leaders are acting out of fear, but there is nothing to be scared of. I know merger will not happen.”