AIADMK leadership tussle: EPS, OPS supporters clash in Chennai

The High court gave the verdict while rejecting the plea by O Panneerselvam (OPS) to stall the meeting which proposed to revive the interim general secretary post and abolish the coordinator as well as joint coordinator posts. Soon after the HC green flag, the AIADMK Executive Council meet went underway at a wedding hall, while the General Council set to follow.

Chennai (Tamil Nadu):The Madras High Court on Monday gave a nod for the interim AIADMK meet, thereby setting grounds for former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappady K Palaniswami (EPS) to be made the party's single supreme leader, with his dominant faction having already announced that the powerful General Secretary post will be revived today.

The High court gave the verdict while rejecting the plea by O Panneerselvam (OPS) to stall the meeting which proposed to revive the interim General Secretary post and abolish the coordinator as well as joint coordinator posts. Soon after the HC green flag, the AIADMK Executive Council meet went underway at a wedding hall, while the General Council set to follow.

Meanwhile, two groups of suspected AIADMK workers clashed outside the party headquarters. The perpetrators, suspected to be supporters of either of the rival leaders (OPS or EPS), were seen carrying AIADMK flags, burning posters and banners, and pelting stones at each other, while some vehicles parked nearby were also damaged. It was not clear immediately if there were injuries. Some other men were also seen forcing their way into the party office by breaking open the doors.

Security has been beefed up at the AIADMK office, MGR Maaligai, named after party founder, the late Chief Minister M G Ramachandran. Later, Panneerselvam arrived at the party office, flanked by his supporters including R Vaithilingam and Manoj Pandian. Panneerselvam greeted his supporters from a portico and also waved the party flag. There were "Ayya OPS vazhga" (hail OPS sir) slogans by his supporters.

Ahead of this General Council meeting, the Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) camp of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) -- which is at loggerheads with the OPS faction backing O Panneerselvam -- held a discussion at the residence of EPS in Tamil Nadu earlier on Sunday. AIADMK Presidium Chairman Tamil Magan Hussain on June 23 announced that they have decided to hold the next General Council Meeting (after the one that took place on June 23) of AIADMK at 9.15 a.m. on July 11. After all the 23 resolutions of the General Committee members were rejected, the supporters of O Panneerselvam-- who wanted to have the dual leadership format in the party continue-- staged a walkout from the meeting.

"All members rejected all the 23 resolutions and the only demand of General Committee members is on single leadership. When the next General Committee meeting is convened, all these along with the resolutions for single leadership will be adopted," AIADMK Deputy Coordinator KP Munusamy had said. He further expressed that whenever the next General Council Meeting would happen, all the 23 resolutions and a single leadership resolution will be passed.

Former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, former Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and other leaders of the party were also present at the June 23 meeting. After the demise of Jayalalithaa in 2016, the party has been following a dual-leadership formula with EPS as co-coordinator and OPS as coordinator.

Palaniswami is all for single leadership in the party and his camp was all keen on passing a resolution in the said regard during the June 23 meeting, while Panneerselvam claimed that the general body could not pass the resolution without his signature as per the party bylaw. Since the district secretary meeting on June 14, voices for single leadership in the party grew louder. Both the camps held several rounds of talks to resolve the issue but remained unsuccessful. OPS had also written a letter to EPS demanding postponement of the general body meeting citing a "confused situation" in the party which the AIADMK co-coordinator denied.

In comparison to OPS, EPS enjoys the support of a large number of party MLAs and district secretaries. Amid all this drama, OPS' long-time loyalists had also joined the EPS camp. On Tuesday, Thiruvallur District Secretary Alexander and Puducherry State Secretary Anbalagan extended their support to EPS. Amid a controversy over the issue of single leadership in AIADMK between OPS and EPS, the former had held an "individual meeting" with his supporters and district secretaries at the party office here. (With agency inputs)