CHENNAI/ERODE: The AIADMK on Saturday petitioned DGP C Sylenrababu to direct the police authorities across the state to restrain O Panneerselvam and his supporters from using the party name, flag and address of the party headquarters “since Panneerselvam and his supporters have been expelled from the party”.
The ECI has recognised Edappadi K Palaniswami as the general secretary of the party and the amendments to the party bylaws were carried out in the general council meeting held on July 11, 2022. After meeting the DGP, the party’s organising secretary D Jayakumar said if Panneerselvam and his associates continue to use the AIADMK’s name and flag, the party would move court.
“Panneerselvam has no connection whatsoever to the AIADMK party since his removal on July 11, 2022, and continues to be expelled from the AIADMK till date. He is a stark outsider of the AIADMK and can in no manner claim to be even a primary member, much less an office bearer of the party,” Jayakumar said.
In the petition, Jayakumar recalled what had happened in the courts and before the ECI so far.
He said Panneerselvam has been instigating his men to make unnecessary overtures at various places in the state just to entice and unnecessarily evoke the emotions of the AIADMK cadre. “His men made unnecessary overtures by using the flag of AIADMK at Dharmapuri on May 18 and now the same is being done on Friday at Salem. The complaints given by our cadre and functionaries are not being taken on record by the police and instead, our cadre and members are being arrested by the police,” he added.
The AIADMK members also filed a complaint at Bhavani police station in Erode district against OPS using the party’s flag and two-leaves symbol. According to a police source, on behalf of OPS-led AIADMK, a consultation meeting with local functionaries was held in Kadayampatti in Bhavani on Saturday evening.
“For this, flags with the AIADMK symbol were hoisted in various parts of Bhavani city. Flex banners with the two-leaves symbol were also put up in some places. ‘OPS-led AIADMK’ Erode district secretary APN Govindan led the works for the party meeting. AIADMK functionaries from the EPS faction objected to this. On Friday night, the EPS-led AIADMK filed a complaint at the Bhavani police station insisting that the OPS using the party symbol and flag,” he said.
On behalf of the OPS faction, its joint coordinator R Vaithilingam said, “The election commission and court did not tell us not to use the AIADMK symbol and flag. There is nothing wrong in using the AIADMK symbol.” Following the complaint, the police removed the flex banners placed on the roadside at some places in Bhavani city. However, the Bhavani police said the flex banners were removed as they were causing disturbance to the public.