Chennai, Sep 1 (IANS): Sidelined AIADMK Deputy General Secretary T.T.V. Dinakaran on Friday told party members not to attend the September 12 General Council and Executive Committee meetings called by the two factions of the party that have merged.

The merged factions were earlier headed by now Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam and Chief Minister K. Palaniswami.

In a statement issued here, Dinakaran said a meeting of the General Council can be convened only when one fifth of the members give it in writing and it can be convened only by the General Secretary.

According to him, only the now jailed General Secretary V.K. Sasikala has the power to convene meetings of the General Council and Executive Committee.

He said the September 12 meetings convened by Palaniswami and Panneerselvam were illegal. Urging party members not to attend them, Dinakaran warned that those who do would face "strong action".

After Chief Minister and General Secretary J. Jayalalithaa died in December last year, her close aide Sasikala was chosen the interim General Secretary.

Panneerselvam, who was then Chief Minister, resigned his post and rebelled against Sasikala and demanded her and her family's ouster from the party.

Before going to jail on corruption charges, Sasikala appointed her nephew Dinakaran as the Deputy General Secretary. 

Later, Palaniswami and his faction started to distance themselves from Dinakaran. They also announced that Dinakaran's appointment to the party post was invalid.

The merged faction has called the September 12 meeting mainly to expel Sasikala from the party post.