Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami alleged that some traitors, in a tacit alliance with the ruling DMK, were attempting to split the AIADMK.
Mr. Palaniswami said loyal cadre of the AIADMK were upset over the indecorous act of former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam making a forceful entry into the party headquarters in Chennai and orchestrating violence with a group of hooligans.
The AIADMK, which was working for the poor and downtrodden since its inception, was vibrant. None could destablilise the party.
Their dream would never fructify and the cadre would give him (Mr. Panneerselvam) a fitting lesson for having a “tacit understanding” with the DMK, Mr. Palaniswami said without directly naming anybody.
Dismissing the offer of rapprochement by the faction led by Mr. Panneerselvam, he said the question of working again with a person who led hooligans to vandalise MGR Maligai, the revered party headquarters, break the portraits of leaders, and set fire to valuables did not arise.
A person in a position to question the wrongdoers had himself indulged in the unbecoming acts.
“I am not against him. I rose to this position from a cadre. I can visualise the pulse of the cadre. The point is whether he is loyal to the party or not,” Mr. Palaniswami said and added that he had been with the AIADMK since 1974 irrespective of whether the party was in power or not and even during crisis.
He had never deviated from his position nor changed colours. But, Mr. Panneerselvam was changing his stand frequently, and betraying the party.
Meanwhile, senior leader O Panneerselvam addressed thousands of his supporters from Dindigul district who gathered at his farmhouse in Periyakulam, after the Madras High Court had invalidated the AIADMK general council meeting held on July 11.
The Madras High Court, in the case of the AIADMK General Council meeting, had ruled in favour of OPS. Justice G Jayachandran of Madras High Court ordered in the favour of Panneerselvam, which meant that the election of his rival and former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami as an interim general secretary during the July 11 general council meeting will not be valid.
The court also ordered the conduct of a fresh general council meeting of the AIADMK. Paneerselvam addressing his supporters, said, “The AIADMK general council meeting held on July 23 did not take place properly. As AIADMK Coordinator, I should have proposed a resolution to elect the AIADMK Praesidium Chairman of AIADMK. But, that didn’t happen. But not letting these rules pass, the rowdies ran riot and insulted the General Council meeting. True AIADMK workers are on my side. The ‘kuntar’ (rowdies) are on his (EPS) side. The party is being usurped by a few and the volunteers should stop it. All these who have worked for the party since the beginning should work together.”