CHENNAI: Even as the AIADMK stepped into its 55th Foundation Day on Saturday, there is no sign of rapprochement within the party, with former minister ‘Agri’ S S Krishnamurthy, a staunch loyalist of party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, launching a sharp attack on former minister S P Velumani, one of the leaders of the disgruntled group of functionaries.
Giving a point-by-point rebuttal to the remarks made by Velumani to media persons in Coimbatore on Friday, Krishnamurthy, at the party headquarters in Chennai, charged certain leaders are attempting to weaken the AIADMK out of frustration at not securing ministerial positions in the government and are spreading false information for that purpose.
Krishnamurthy asserted the party’s grassroots workers would not accept such attempts. Stating the party is functioning under Palaniswami’s unified leadership, he said the general secretary would not tolerate attempts to undermine the organisation.
Questioning the commitment of Velumani and certain other members to bring back AIADMK rule in the state, Krishnamurthy asked if this was their intention, why had they voted in support of the TVK government in the Assembly in violation of the party whip.
He also questioned the rationale behind Velumani’s suggestion that former CM O Panneerselvam, who is now with the DMK, come back to the AIADMK. On Velumani’s another suggestion to bring back T T V Dhinakaran and V K Sasikala, he said the AMMK leader has been part of the AIADMK alliance, and that Sasikala had launched her own party and contested the Assembly election.
Stating that Velumani has been airing such views out of animosity, Krishnamurthy challenged Velumani’s claim that the AIADMK could have secured four ministerial berths in the union government had it allied with the BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha election. He said Palaniswami took the decision to snap ties with the BJP after consulting all functionaries, and Velumani had been the first to oppose an alliance with the BJP at that time.
Earlier in the day, Palaniswami marked the 55th Foundation Day by hoisting the party flag at the AIADMK headquarters.