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EPS gets AIADMK helm, OPS expelled from party
Former Tamil Nadu chief minister and current leader of opposition in the state, Edappadi Palaniswami (widely known as EPS), won the battle for the leadership of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or AIADMK , after the Madras high court rejected the plea of his rival-turned-ally-turned-rival O Panneerselvam aka OPS, seeking to stall the party’s general council meeting scheduled for Monday.
Former Tamil Nadu chief minister and current leader of opposition in the state, Edappadi Palaniswami (widely known as EPS), won the battle for the leadership of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or AIADMK , after the Madras high court rejected the plea of his rival-turned-ally-turned-rival O Panneerselvam aka OPS, seeking to stall the party’s general council meeting scheduled for Monday.
Matters moved rapidly after the court’s decision at 9 am — EPS was named (interim) general secretary, a position once occupied by stalwarts MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa; OPS, a three-time acting chief minister of the state, was expelled from the party; and after clashes between supporters of the two leaders at the AIADMK HQ, the building was sealed by the state.
OPS who was treasurer of the party was replaced by Dindigul Srinivasan. Senior party leaders JCD Prabhakar, R Vaithilingam and PH Manoj Pandian, OPS’ main supporters were also expelled although his son and MP, P Ravindranath, was untouched.
Monday’s dramatic events mark the end of five-and-a-half-years of hyphenated leadership of the party. The outcome of Monday’s meeting of the general council has been a given for at least a month with a majority of the AIADMK backing EPS, reasoning that the dual leadership model has not worked. OPS has also been accused of flirting with the state’s ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and going soft on VK Sasikala, a friend and companion of Jayalalithaa who has revived her political plans amidst the slugfest.
Justice Krishnan Ramasamy passed an order at 9 am refusing to interfere in the party’s internal affairs. The judge observed that it was unfortunate that OPS, who filed a petition in his capacity as AIADMK’s coordinator, approached the court instead of the general council’s members. “In the present case, the applicants have been knocking the doors of the courts of law by making their best efforts to use the courts as tools for their convenience to come to their rescue who are not in a position to gain confidence from among party members in their favour.”
OPS did not attend the general council meeting but made his way to the party’s headquarters in Chennai’s Royapettah, almost in the centre of the city, where his supporters clashed with EPS’. OPS’ supporters tried to break open a locked door to enter the headquarters while OPS staged a sit-in protest. Given the law and order situation, revenue officials reached the spot after noon and sealed the premises after OPS left.
Meanwhile, the decor at the venue of the party’s general council meeting in Vanagaram, on the outskirts of Chennai made it clear who was in charge — only EPS was visible in posters that lined the venue, alongside MGR and Jayalalithaa. The general council passed a total of 16 resolutions on Monday. It abolished the dual leadership — OPS as coordinator and EPS as joint coordinator — that was put in place after Jayalalithaa’s death in December 2016. The two new posts were created in 2017 after the duo merged their factions and removed Sasikala, EPS’ mentor as interim general secretary. Jayalalithaa was made the eternal general secretary.
On Monday, the party once again changed its by-laws to bring back the general secretary post. Elections to the post of the AIADMK general secretary will be held in four months, said former minister RB Udhayakumar. The post of general secretary is the highest post in the AIADMK.
After taking charge as interim general secretary, EPS spoke at the general council about the power tussle with OPS. “We faced a lot of trouble due to the dual leadership. Several leaders spoke to him (ops) several times to convince him to bring back single leadership to the AIADMK.”
He hit out at OPS for never having sacrificed anything for the party while he described himself as a loyal worker for 48 years.
Speakers who spoke after him took turns to criticise OPS at the general council meeting. “He is a political orphan now,” said former minister Natham Viswanathan.
Meanwhile, from the site of his sit-in at AIADMK HQ, OPS told reporters that while he has been elected by 15 million workers of the party as coordinator, nobody has the power to expel him. “I am saying that now, I’m expelling Edappadi Palaniswami and (KP) Munusamy from the primary membership of the party,” OPS said, flanked by his supporters who added that they will appeal in court.
“They are saying that more than 2000 general council members want EPS but you saw how 20,000 people came to the headquarters today to support OPS,” said his supporter V Pugazhendi. “We showed today that just money cannot win.”
Meanwhile Sasikala said in a press conference in Pudukottai that she is the general secretary of the AIADMK and will unite everyone. “When the case I have filed in the Madras high court (against her removal) is still pending and when his (EPS) appointment itself is in question, how can OPS be removed?” asked Sasikala. “Today’s general council meeting only reflected selfish individual interests. Soon, I will unite everyone together under the AIADMK and we will form the government.”
EPS blamed OPS for joining hands with chief minister MK Stalin to orchestrate the chaos at party headquarters by bringing in anti-social elements.
In response, DMK’s organising secretary R S Bharathi called for a press conference to clarify that the DMK has no links to the fight between EPS and OPS. “It’s become a routine for Edappadi to blame the CM and DMK for everything…This kind of fight has been happening since MGR’s death. Even now I think this fight is temporary and they will unite again because both of them fell on Sasikala’s feet to get their posts and they forgot Sasikala in a week. So they may forget this too.” Police imposed section 144 and the revenue officials imposed section 145 to bring the situation under control. “The government has done its duty,” Bharathi said.
Political analysts say that OPS has few options left — to start a new party, join the BJP or join the forces against Sasikala and her nephew, TTV Dhinakaran, given their common rivalry with EPS.
“EPS and OPS had a typical opportunistic relationship. EPS commanded the majority and acted when the time was right. OPS may float a new party and call that the real AIADMK saying that Jayalalithaa had always picked him. At best he can get the AIADMK symbol frozen,” said political analyst Maalan Narayanan.
