CHENNAI: The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) today annulled the dual leadership structure and formally appointed Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) as the party’s Interim General Secretary, vesting in him full powers to helm the organisation. In its Executive Committee and General Council meeting held here, the AIADMK endorsed scrapping the erstwhile top two positions of Coordinator and Joint Coordinator held by O Panneerselvam (OPS), and Palaniswami, respectively.
In the meet, OPS was expelled from the party's primary membership and from his post of treasurer. It was senior leader and former Minister C Vijayabaskar who presented accounts related to party finances in the meet today, which was a clear indication that OPS would be eased out. Dindigul Srinivasan was later named as the treasurer of AIADMK.
While moving a special resolution to expel OPS, party leader Natham R Viswanathan said, "Panneerselvam has been siding with the DMK government and has been hailing the functioning of that government, with a view to weaken the AIADMK. Panneerselvam lodged a complaint with the State police against the June 23rd GC meeting of the party. This is violative of all rules of the AIADMK."
Viswanathan also said that Panneerselvam had moved the court against the party, and its headquarters office-bearers. He took steps including approaching police to stall the June 23 General Council meet, which was jointly convened by him along with Palaniswami. These activities went against the bylaws of the AIADMK as well as against the principles and ideologies of the party, he added.
Leaders R Vaithilingam, JCD Prabhakar, and Manoj Pandian, who are staunch supporters of OPS, have also been expelled from the party for their 'anti-party' activities.
In his address to the General Council members after his appointment, EPS hit out at OPS and said that the latter keeps on saying that he had sacrificed a lot for the party. "What did he do? We are the ones who sacrificed for the party", he said.
The AIADMK leader further said that they had sought protection for the party headquarters from the police and alleged that OPS along with Chief Minister MK Stalin had "planned to destroy" the AIADMK office.
The remarks of EPS came after OPS supporters barged into the party's Royapettah office ahead of the general council meet, and broke open the door. OPS sat in a dharna (protest) with them at the office. His supporters reportedly left the office carrying party-related material.
OPS supporter, Kolathur District Secretary, Krishnamurthy got hit by a stone thrown by EPS supporters at the party headquarters. The supporters of OPS and EPS also burnt posters and banners ahead of the meeting. Vehicles were damaged, too.
In the wake of these clashes, the revenue department of the Tamil Nadu government then sealed the AIADMK headquarters.
Terming his expulsion from the party as invalid, OPS said that the General Council doesn't have the right to remove him and that he will approach the courts. "General Council expelling me isn't valid...we will take legal action according to the law. they don't have the right to remove me," OPS told reporters, adding that he would meet the cadres who had elected him as party coordinator and seek justice.
At the GC meet today at Vanagaram, it was also decided to revive the post of general secretary and to conduct elections for the post within four months from today. The party's primary members will be electing the general secretary of the party. Senior functionaries Natham R Viswanathan and Pollachi V Jayaraman will act as election commissioners.
The posts of coordinator and joint coordinator created on September 12, 2017, were abolished. Amendments made to the bylaws of the AIADMK (created on December 1, 2021) to ensure the election of these two top party posts through a single vote were not ratified during today's meet.
Additionally, the GC meet approved the creation of a deputy general secretary post instead of a deputy coordinator post. KP Munusamy is likely to be appointed as the deputy general secretary.
The general secretary of the party will appoint the deputy general secretaries of the party.
VIEW GALLERY | A day of high drama for the AIADMK
Former Ministers RB Udhayakumar and OS Manian read out 16 resolutions and the members of the GC approved them by clapping their hands.
Udhayakumar said there were many shortcomings in the functioning of dual leadership. Such a situation has caused huge disappointment among the party cadre and office bearers and has also demoralised them, he added.
To take on the DMK government effectively, a single leadership for the party is the need of the hour, Udhayakumar said.
The functionary who is contesting for the post of general secretary should have been a primary member of the party for 10 continuous years, Udhayakumar said. Besides, the person should also have experience as a headquarters office-bearer for five continuous years. At least 10 district secretaries should propose the name of the person who wishes to contest for this post and their proposal should have the backing of 10 more district secretaries, the former minister said.
The first resolution extended its greetings to partymen elected in the recent organisational polls for various levels.
The second resolution urged the Centre to confer 'Bharat Ratna' on late leaders --- social justice icon Periyar E V Ramasamy, Dravidian movement's father figure CN Annadurai, and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa.
Incidentally, Jayalalithaa helmed the party for decades as its powerful general secretary while her close aide, VK Sasikala, was made interim general secretary for a brief period following the former's death in December 2016.
Sasikala, who was later convicted and sentenced in a disproportionate assets case, was subsequently sacked from the post in 2017 by a then AIADMK GC.
After the demise of Jayalalithaa in 2016, the party has been following a dual-leadership formula with EPS as co-coordinator and OPS as coordinator. The clamour has been growing louder for a single leader in the party since the district secretary meeting on June 14 this year.
The Madras High Court on Monday rejected a plea from AIADMK's former co-ordinator O Panneerselvam to stay the conduct of the general council meeting holding that the court cannot interfere into the squabbles of a political party. Justice Krishnan Ramaswamy delivered the verdict today morning, which allowed the EPS faction to hold the GC meet, the supreme decision making body of the main opposition party in Tamil Nadu.
The party general council meet chaired by presidium chairman A Tamil Mahan Hussain commenced after the court's nod.
WATCH:
(With inputs from online desk and agencies)