CHENNAI: More than 1,000 AIADMK functionaries from Villupuram on Monday announced their resignation from party posts, allegedly because the leadership, under AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS), was removing long-serving office-bearers without consultation.
The group, led by former Tindivanam MLA P Arjunan, gathered at the memorials of former Chief Ministers M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa on Marina Beach before proceeding to the party headquarters at Royapettah to submit their resignation letters.
The resignations came on a day when EPS was meetings functionaries from Madurai Urban and Ramanathapuram districts at the party headquarters.
Speaking to reporters, Arjunan said around 1,150 office-bearers from the united Villupuram district, including district-, state-, union-, and wing-level functionaries, were resigning from the party in the first phase.
He alleged that several leaders who had worked for the party for over 30 years were removed from their responsibilities without any inquiry or consultation. “We cannot work under an unworthy (district-level) leadership. We are surrendering only the posts given to us by Amma (Jayalalithaa), but we will continue as party members,” he said.