CHENNAI: A googly thrown by supporters of ousted AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam late Tuesday night has put the camp of interim general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on the backfoot.
The delivery came in the form of a 12-minute audio clip purportedly of a telephone conversation between AIADMK organising secretary C Ponnaiyan and OPS supporter Nanjil Kolappan from Kanniyakumari in which 'Ponnaiyan' claims EPS' base of support in the party is minimal.
While Ponnaiyan, in a late night press conference, denounced the audio as fake, Palaniswami on Wednesday evening relieved him from the post of organising secretary and appointed him secretary of the MGR Mandram, one of the party wings.
In the audio clip, the person purported to be Ponnaiyan says Palaniswami only has the support of nine MLAS and that money played a vital role in garnering him support of party functionaries. The Panneerselvam camp has claimed it will release more such clips in the coming days.
Ponnaiyan’s denial came within hours of the audio’s release, the former minister terming it as fake and alleging it had been created by mimicry artists with the use of technology. Ponnaiyan went on to pay rich encomiums on the calibre and leadership qualities of Palaniswami and his team.
"It is a doctored audio clip and has been released by the Panneerselvam camp to create confusion and commotion in the Palaniswami camp. I have respect for all the leaders in the Palaniswami camp. There is a big conspiracy behind the audio which aims to split the party but the conspiracy has failed due to the support of the party cadre," Ponnaiyan said.
Former ministers C Ve Shanmugam and KP Munusamy, who are mentioned in the conversation, on Wedneday pointed to Ponnaiyan's denial. Shanmugam said he would not comment, even if the audio were authentic, given Ponnaiyan's age.
Munusamy said Ponnaiyan would never have spoken in this manner. Shanmugam was addressing reporters after he submitted documents pertaining to the resolutions adopted in the AIADMK general council (GC) meeting held on July 11 with the Election Commission of India.
Meanwhile, V Pugazhenthi, a supporter of OPS, met with Panneerselvam and told reporters that there was a threat to Ponnaiyan's life as he had revealed secrets of the Palaniswami camp and asked the State government to provide him with security.
Ettappas in AIADMK now revealed: Edappadi Palaniswami
Speaking at a family function of a party functionary in Villupuram, AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday said the ettappas (traitors) in the party have been revealed. "After facing many issues, two massive leaders succeed and handed over the party to us. The AIADMK faced many problems... Ettappas were with us and weakened the party. We were to win the 2021 Assembly election, but now we understand that those ettappas blocked our victory and betrayed us through manipulation," he said.
"This is the first function I am participating in after taking charge as interim general secretary of the party. I never thought I would become the general secretary," he added