CHENNAI: Following the approval of the Election Commission of India for the amendment of the AIADMK bylaws which abolished the general secretary post and included coordinator and joint coordinator posts in the party, supporters of RK Nagar MLA TTV Dhinakaran and former MP KC Palanisamy said on Sunday that they would challenge the ECI’s approval in courts.
At the AIADMK general council meeting held here on September 12, 2017, various amendments were adopted. Some of the important amendments are that as per wishes of the members of the party and party cadre, J Jayalalithaa shall be the eternal general secretary of the party and no person shall be elected/appointed/nominated to that post. The post of general secretary stands abolished( Rule No 20).
The coordinator and joint coordinator shall be primary members of the party for the continuous period of five years( Rule 20 A -1)
The coordinator and joint coordinator of the party will be responsible for the entire administration of the party (Rule 20 A - V).All amendments were submitted to the Election Commission of India (ECI) for approval and now the commission has approved the amendments to the party’s bylaws and uploaded the amendments in its website.
Reacting to this development, Dhinakaran’s supporters and Palanisamy, who filed a complaint with the ECI against the amendments of the party, said on Sunday they would challenge the amendments legally.
Palanisamy told Express, “The general council of the party has no power to amend the bylaws contrary to the basic structure of the party Rule 43. And already I have sent my objection to the ECI on this issue. Though my objection is pending, the ECI approved the amendments in a biased manner. Hence, I will approach the court to challenge the approval of the commission” he pointed out.
Thanga Tamil Selvan, supporter of Dhinakaran, and one of the 18 disqualified MLAs by the Speaker of the Assembly, told Express, “It was expected. The ECI was functioning in a biased manner and they supported EPS and OPS on every issue without considering our objections. Hence, various cases are pending in the court over the AIADMK functioning and amendment to the party bylaw. And we will take the issue to court and will challenge the approval of ECI” he underlined.
Significant changes
Some of the important amendments are that as per wishes of the members of the party and party cadre, J Jayalalithaa shall be the eternal general secretary of the party and no person shall be elected/appointed/nominated to that post. The post of general secretary stands abolished( Rule No 20). The coordinator and joint coordinator shall be primary members of the party for the continuous period of five years( Rule 20 A -1) The coordinator and joint coordinator of the party will be responsible for entire administration of the party (Rule 20 A-V).