Single leader demand amid chaos, walkout: 10 points on key AIADMK meet

Post the decision to stick to single-party leadership, OPS, along with his supporters, walked out of the meeting hall and left the venue.

The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's (AIADMK) general council meeting on Thursday rejected all 23 proposed resolutions and announced that the one and only demand of council members is to bring in a system of a single leadership for the party. The meeting was held at Shrivaaru Venkatachalapathy Palace in Chennai's Vanagaram amid chaotic sloganeering. Former chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, former deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam, and other leaders of the party were present at the meet that saw walkout by OPS and his supporters.

Single leader demand amid chaos, walkout: 10 points on key AIADMK meet (Anantha Krishnan)

Here are ten points on the key AIADMK meet:

1. All 23 resolutions proposed in the meeting were rejected and the 'single leadership' system has been brought in - favouring EPS.

2. Deputy Secretary K P Munusamy said that “their one and only demand is for a single leadership”. He added, “When such a resolution favouring a single leadership (favouring EPS) is taken up and passed, all other resolutions would be adopted as and when the GC is convened in future.”

3. Post the decision to stick to single-party leadership, OPS, along with his supporters, walked out of the meeting hall and left the venue.

4. Earlier on Wednesday, the Madras High Court had refused to restrain AIADMK general council meeting scheduled from amending bylaws to pave the way for a single leadership.

5. The court had said that it “cannot interfere in such issues”. The bench of justices M Duraiswamy and Sunder Mohan heard the case and passed the order at 4:30 am on Thursday.

6. After Jayalalithaa's death in 2016, the party has been following a dual-leadership formula with Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) as co-coordinator and O Panneersevelam (OPS) as coordinator.

7. The tussle between former Tamil Nadu chief minister and party co-coordinator Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) and his former deputy CM and coordinator O Panneersevelam (OPS) has continued for a long time now. While EPS has been rooting for a single leadership in the party, OPS the general body cannot pass the resolution without his signature “as per the party by-law”.

8. Both EPS and OPS have held several rounds of talks to resolve the issue, however, without any success.

9. OPS had also written a letter to EPS demanding postponement of the general body meeting citing a "confused situation" in the party, but the latter had rejected it.

10. Last week, OPS had held an "individual meeting" with his supporters and district secretaries at the party office over the issue.