CHENNAI: On yet another day of multiple developments in the AIADMK, party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Thursday addressed newly-elected MLAs at a private resort in Puducherry, where they have been staying since the previous night, and signalled that “good things” will follow in the coming days. Sources said the MLAs-elect signed two forms related to some “future developments”.
The hour-long meeting assumes significance amid reports that the AIADMK might stake claim to form the government in Tamil Nadu with outside support from its rival DMK. Palaniswami is learned to have given the legislators a pep talk before returning to Chennai. Though there was speculation that EPS would be elected as the legislature party leader, that did not take place.
Senior AIADMK leader CVe Shanmugam, who was at the heart of all developments so far along with SP Velumani, skipped the meeting and instead flew to New Delhi. Speaking to reporters there, he said he had travelled to the national capital to resign from the Rajya Sabha after being elected to the Assembly. AIADMK deputy general secretary KP Munusamy attended the meeting in Puducherry.
Around 30 AIADMK MLAs-elect from Tamil Nadu have been staying at private luxury beach resorts in the Poornankuppam coastal belt since Wednesday night. Sources said the legislators were initially accommodated at one resort before being shifted to another nearby luxury property due to space constraints arising from prior tourist bookings.
Later on Thursday, 15 more MLAs joined the group for the meeting with Palaniswami. Sources added that the MLAs-elect would continue to stay at the resort under tight security for the next few days. The developments have revived memories of the AIADMK’s 2017 “resort politics” episode following the death of former CM J Jayalalithaa.
In February 2017, MLAs backing VK Sasikala were housed at a resort in Koovathur near Chennai after the revolt led by O Panneerselvam. The Koovathur episode went on to become one of the most talked-about instances of “resort politics” in India.
Meanwhile, Puducherry AIADMK secretary A Anbalagan defended the governor’s handling of the government formation process and said any party seeking to form the government must demonstrate the support of 118 MLAs.
Launching a sharp attack on the Congress, Anbalagan accused it of compromising its political principles for power. Referring to Congress’s alliance strategies in different states, he questioned if it was right for the party to “send the Communist party home in Kerala while seeking Communist support in Tamil Nadu”.