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Amid dissent in AIADMK, DMK demands session of state assembly
Two AIADMK MLAs have demanded an end to the dual leadership in the party by Chief Minister Edapapdi K Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam.
The ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu launched a damage control exercise on Sunday after two of its legislators demanded an end to the dual leadership in the party after the Lok Sabha election rout which prompted the opposition DMK to demand an urgent session of the assembly.
DMK President M K Stalin urged Chief Minister Edapapdi K Palaniswami to convene the state assembly to address several pressing issues after AIADMK MLAs Rajan Chellappa and Kunnam Ramachandran criticized the dual leadership of their party and hinted that decision making in the state had become paralysed.
“Tamil Nadu is facing heavy drought and people are facing water scarcity. Cauvery delta farmers are not in a position to raise Kuruvai (short term) crops. Therefore the CM should convene the assembly soon to discuss these issues…..If the CM continues to avoid convening assembly, Governor Banwarilal Purohit should order the Speaker to do so or the state will sink into chaos,” Stalin said in a statement.
Earlier on Saturday, Madurai north MLA Rajan Chellappa came out openly to demand that the party high command and the government should have a single leader. The MLA was referring to the dual leadership structure between Palaniswami and Deputy CM O Panneerselvam (OPS) trying to run jointly the government as well as being co-conveners of AIADMK.
“The need of the hour is a powerful single leadership, replacing the current dual one. The AIADMK General Council meeting should be convened without any further delay to elect a leader,” Chellappa said in Madurai .
Chellappa who was addressing the media over the rout in the Lok Sabha elections, also questioned why the nine AIADMK legislators elected in the assembly bypolls have not yet paid homage at Jayalalithaa’s memorial.
This has sparked speculation that the nine MLAs were probably not in tune with party diktats as Jayalalithaa is seen to be the guiding force of the party even after her death. While both Palaniswami and senior ministers refuted Chellappa’s contention, another MLA Ramachandran elected from Kunnam assembly constituency on Sunday backed Chellappa.
“AIADMK should be controlled by one leader. Dual leadership is not good for the party,” said Ramachandran.
In a damage-control exercise, Palaniswami and Panneerselvam issued a statement on Sunday convening a meeting of party leaders, office bearers, MPs and MLAs on June 12.
Both the CM and his deputy also requested the party leaders not to comment about the party leadership and election rout in public.
“If our party workers criticise our party in public, it will make people who want to destroy our party and people who are dreaming to become CM at least for a day stronger,” EPS and OPS said in the statement.
The two leaders also requested the party workers to express their views only to party leaders.
“If anyone wants to express their personal views about the party functioning and election results, they could raise during the General Council meeting, Executive Committee Meeting. It should not be announced in front of the media. Anyway, the past is past. But, AIADMK workers should cooperate with the leadership,” they said.
AIADMK deputy co-ordinator KP Munusamy brushed aside the comments of the two MLAs and said that the party was strong under the current dual leadership structure.
“Rajan Chellappa and Ramachandran could have avoided their comments against the party leadership structure. We cannot accept their ideas. The AIADMK is performing well under the dual leadership of OPS and EPS,” said Munusamy.
But according to an analyst, the rebel voices in AIADMK hint at a crisis in the party.
“Rajan Chellappa and Ramachandran’s views show that many AIADMK officer bearers are unhappy with the party leadership after the election rout. Even as EPS and OPS are leading the party, the rebel voices prove that the CM and DCM have not been accepted by party workers. The DMK which has perceived the feud as an opportunity is urging for convening of the assembly session to read the AIADMK MLAs’ minds,” said Madras High Court’s senior advocate and political analyst S Ramesh.
