Concerns within the AIADMK over who should lead the party intensified on Sunday with O Panneerselvam (OPS) visiting southern Tamil Nadu, with VK Sasikala insisting that she would address the issues and chief Edappadi The K Palaniswami (EPS) faction is calling for one. Brainstorming meeting of top officials on June 27
Taking a jibe at the rival EPS camp, AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam today said “cadres are on my side” and asserted that people and party workers will punish his opponents. In another statement, he called the meeting a violation of the bye-laws and rules as “meetings could be convened only with the approval of both the coordinator and the joint coordinator.” “I had not given permission for this meeting. The decisions taken in this meeting will not be binding on the AIADMK and its cadre…as the party is under the administration of the coordinator and the joint coordinator,” he said according to a report. The New Indian Express,
Late AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa’s confidant VK Sasikala, who was thrown out of the party years ago, visited north Tamil Nadu and said she would take steps to organize the House. His nephew and Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam leader TTV Dhinakaran held discussions with his party workers.
The AIADMK, clearly the dominant EPS camp, called a meeting of top office bearers at the party headquarters in Chennai on Monday, while the OPS, who is the treasurer, is away to consult his supporters. The war of words continued between the dominant EPS and the sidelined OPS factions, while the official Tamil daily (Namadhu Amma) of the AIADMK showed only the name of the EPS on its masthead in the founder’s column. The names of both OPS and EPS were revealed till Saturday.
Panneerselvam, popularly known as the OPS, was accorded a grand welcome by his supporters after he went on a tour of southern Tamil Nadu after being sidelined at the June 23 general council meeting, which is a major success in several areas of southern Tamil Nadu. gathered in numbers. Warm welcome to him. “Party workers are on my side,” Panneerselvam told reporters here. The OPS, who arrived here today from Chennai, was presented a sword by his followers on his way to his home district Theni.
In Theni, BJP office-bearers also welcomed the OPS by presenting them with saffron shawls. Panneerselvam criticized his camp for trying to remove Palaniswami from the post of party coordinator, saying that the people and workers of Tamil Nadu will teach a fair lesson and punish those who were behind the “trap of conspiracy”, and its were responsible for being responsible. The current ‘extraordinary situation’ in the party.
OPS held discussions with their supporters at their home ground. Wall posters appeared in favor of OPS in Dindigul district. Sasikala, who calls herself general secretary, told reporters in North Tiruvallur district that she was hurt by the AIADMK incidents, apparently referring to a dispute between EPS and OPS factions.
He was accorded a warm welcome by his supporters at several places in Tiruvallur. His supporters described his visit to northern Tamil Nadu as ‘Puratchi Payanam’ (revolutionary journey). She expressed confidence that she would be able to address all issues within the organization and recalled that a similar power struggle broke out in 1987 after the death of party founder MG Ramachandran.
“This is our problem,” he said as he asked whether he would join hands with the EPS and OPS who had shunned him from the party. He said resolving differences between them in the AIADMK is “our idea”. “The party needs to be strengthened. My visit is to meet party workers and people.
On the demand for a single leadership and the perception that the OPS has backed him, he said only party workers can decide who should lead the party and no ‘individual decision’ is possible.
He said that only ordinary party workers have the right to choose the leader and no office-bearer can change it. Replying to a question, he alleged that if the AIADMK is being split, the immediate beneficiary would be only DMK and the ruling party’s hand.
When asked whether she supported the EPS or the OPS, Sasikala said, “I am the general secretary of the party and my full support is for the general workers and people of the party.” A few days ago, the EPS faction announced that the top two posts of Coordinator (OPS) and Joint Coordinator (EPS) had ceased to exist and Panneerselvam and Palaniswami continued to hold only the posts of Treasurer and Headquarters Secretary.
The AIADMK had said the General Council would meet again on July 11 and the EPS would be made a single, supreme leader. Panneerselvam loyalist R Vaithilingam claimed that the GC would not meet next month, while the EPS side said the meeting would go as planned.
RB Udayakumar, a follower of EPS, accused the OPS of not supporting ordinary party workers. The EPS camp also targeted Ops for being ‘autistic’. Sailur Raju, a former minister and a follower of Palaniswami, said the party can be led only by a leader who has 80 per cent support in line with the vision of founder MG Ramachandran.
Sasikala, who served as AIADMK’s interim general secretary after Jayalalithaa’s death in 2016, was thrown out of the party several years ago. His attempts to take back control of the AIADMK did not succeed. He visited a popular temple Sri Subramanya Swamy Temple at Tiruttani in Tiruvallur district on Sunday as part of his visit.
With inputs from PTI
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