Political jousting in AIADMK for the chief ministerial candidate for the next assembly polls continued on Wednesday, with Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam holding discussions with his supporters at his residence.
But to his utter disappointment, only a handful of supporters turned up at Panneerselvam’s residence.
Panneerselvam’s close confidants Manoj Pandian, deputy Co Convener Munuswami, and Natham Viswanathan met him at his residence and a very few cadres gathered outside his residence raising “Tamil Nadu’s permanent CM” slogan.
The Dy CM on Tuesday skipped a CM-led Covid-19 review meeting, and huddled into a meeting with his supporters over the issue of CM face. But on the second day of similar exercise, none of the top ministers or anyone from the CM EPS’ camp came to meet OPS.
The last time when OPS revolted and held “Dharma Yutham”, 11 MLAs and several MPs rallied behind him and hundreds of AIADMK cadres were waiting outside his residence day and night. This time even after an open war of words between OPS and EPS, no similar turn-out was there.
After holding a meeting with his supporters, OPS left to attend a meeting organised by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), a portfolio that is headed by him. Despite resentment between both the leaders, Ministers Jayakumar and R.B Udaykumar stated that “there is no rift in AIADMK and OPS is meeting party office-bearers regarding the development of the party”
Interestingly, after OPS skipped the Covid-19 review meeting headed by the Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami on Tuesday, his name was not added in the invitation of a government programme. However, the invitation issued by a private partner of the same event mentioned Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam’s name as one of the special guests.
