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BJP not controlling us, start preparing for 2024 elections: EPS to AIADMK office-bearers
EPS’s meeting with the district secretaries at AIADMK headquarters comes a week after expelled leader O Panneerselvam (OPS) addressed a meeting of office-bearers of his own faction in Chennai on December 21
Chennai All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (AIADMK) interim general secretary, Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS), told his party’s district secretaries in a meeting in Chennai on Tuesday that their ally, the Bharatiya Janaya Party (BJP), was not controlling them in any way, and urged the party’s leadership to start preparing for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
EPS’s meeting with the district secretaries at AIADMK headquarters comes a week after expelled leader O Panneerselvam (OPS) addressed a meeting of office-bearers of his own faction in Chennai on December 21, where he challenged EPS to form his own party.
This was before EPS sent OPS a legal notice warning him to refrain from using the AIADMK’s name and seal. OPS reportedly responded that he cannot be restrained from using AIADMK’s name and his party position. EPS continues to enjoy the brute majority in AIADMK and his elevation as the general secretary has been stalled due to OPS challenging his expulsion in the Supreme Court, where a case is pending.
Former minister D Jayakumar, a key supporter of EPS who attended the meeting, said they did not discuss OPS, ousted leader V K Sasikala and her nephew, and Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) founder TTV Dhinakaran.
“I’m telling you honestly, we neither discussed OPS nor Sasikala nor TTV Dhinakaran,” said Jayakumar, adding, “Why should we discuss people not in the party? We will not waste our precious time on them. We have no problem in our party.”
He said that since the Madras high court recognised EPS as the interim general secretary and the AIADMK headquarters is in his possession, OPS’ response to the legal notice will not hold water. Jayakumar added that OPS, Sasikala and TTV can join together and become allies of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). “They are behaving like DMK’s B-team,” he said.
The party said the EPS-led AIADMK will lead the alliance for the 2024 parliamentary elections with the sole aim of defeating the ruling DMK. BJP’s Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai also earlier said the AIADMK will continue to lead the national democratic alliance (NDA) alliance in the state. “If Assembly elections are conducted along with the 2024 parliamentary elections, the DMK will surely lose. That’s how angry people are,” Jayakumar said. “We discussed how we can prepare for the 2024 elections by activating booth committees and being active on social media. Nobody can dictate terms to us. All the decisions we make are our own,” he added.
Meanwhile, expelled leader and OPS supporter V Pughazendhi hit out at EPS in the aftermath of the AIADMK meeting. Speaking to mediapersons, Pughazendhi said EPS had earlier treated OPS with fear and respect but his behaviour changed after he became rich. “EPS is a traitor. He is taking pride in the money he has gathered,” said Pughazendhi.
