CHENNAI: Hours before AIADMK’s coordinator O Panneerselvam and joint-coordinator Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami issued a statement on Sunday on “dual leadership”, a day after the party’s legislator Rajan Chellappa sought a “single, charismatic and powerful” party leadership, more senior leaders have expressed their opinion on the matter.
Several leaders have said the party must consider reverting to single leadership for quicker decision-making and efficient management of affairs. MLA RT Ramachandran said on Sunday that the dual leadership had “ruined the party” on several occasions.
“We missed an opportunity to be part of the NDA government only due to dual leadership,” he claimed in a video clip that has now gone viral on WhatsApp. “On many issues, we feel the party gets affected due to ego problems. If decisions are taken by a single leader, it will be firm.” Ramachandran also accused O Panneerselvam, who had spearheaded the ‘dharma yuddham’ against the dominance of one family over the party, of committing the same blunder now. “Just because he was firm that his son must be made a minister, the party lost an opportunity to take part in the government,” said Ramachandran.
AIADMK spokesperson Avadi Kumar claimed the dual leadership was an arrangement made when the party was facing a crisis. “That is over now and it’s high time we rethink the strategy,” Kumar said. “We do not find any difficulties with dual leadership, but decisions are delayed as both leaders have to sit down to make every single decision. It’s time consuming.”
“Rajan Chellappa has not raised his voice against the party leadership,” feels Kumar. “Many in the party have the same view as Chellappa. Especially now since no other person can claim rights over the party, the AIADMK has gained the capacity to reshape itself.” Many other leaders echoed similar sentiments on Sunday.
Former parliamentarian KC Palaniswamy also jumped on the bandwagon, pointing out that single leadership was the practice in the party since the time of late party patriarch and Chief Minister MG Ramachandran. “The party bylaws were changed in 2017 to equip party coordinator and co-coordinator with powers of general secretary. However, functionaries and cadre have not accepted it,” he claimed, while speaking to the media from Coimbatore.
“This was evident from the Lok Sabha election results. For the last two years, I have been demanding that elections be held to fill the general secretary post in the party.”
In Salem, former minister and Mettur MLA S Semmalai claimed both leaders were managing the party “efficiently”. He claimed the AIADMK was a people-centric party and everybody had a right to air their views. “The party high command will consider these views before taking a decision and we will abide by that decision,” he said. “This election result was a setback but we will emerge out of that failure.” Tourism Minister Vellamandi N Natarajan also claimed the party was going on the right track.
(With input from Tiruchy, Coimbatore and Salem)