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Stalin helping Panneerselvam as Palaniswami is DMK’s lone challenger: AIADMK
Interestingly, it was Munusamy, who first sowed the seeds of revolt against VK Sasikala in 2017 and sided with Panneerselvam after J Jayalalithaa’s death, but in recent times his loyalties shifted to Palaniswami and he supported chorus for the unitary leadership.
AIADMK senior leader KP Munusamy on Thursday accused chief minister and DMK president MK Stalin of helping O Panneerselvam to bring down Edappadi Palaniswami.
Interestingly, it was Munusamy, who first sowed the seeds of revolt against VK Sasikala in 2017 and sided with Panneerselvam after J Jayalalithaa’s death, but in recent times his loyalties shifted to Palaniswami and he supported chorus for the unitary leadership.
In the present scenario, where Panneerselvam (OPS) and all his supporters including his sons have been expelled and Palaniswami (EPS) has been elected as interim general secretary of AIADMK and the issue is being fought in the courts, Munusamy on Thursday accused the DMK of using media and other resources to indirectly help OPS.
“Only because our respectful Edappadi Palaniswami is capable of standing up against the DMK government, even chief minister Stalin is indirectly aiding OPS,” Munusamy told reporters. “He (Stalin) realises that the only leader with the capacity and people’s support who can win against him is Palaniswami. It’s obvious from this that annan (brother) OPS has no strength.”
DMK spokesperson A Saravanan told HT that this a figment of AIADMK’s imagination. “They are not able to manage their affairs,” said Saravanan. “That is why they want to shift that responsibility elsewhere. It’s easy to make vague allegations. Let them explain how we are helping OPS?”
For a while now, the AIADMK has accused OPS of cozying up with the DMK. OPS has praised Jayalalithaa’s arch rival and DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi in the assembly last year. OPS’ son and AIADMK’s lone Lok Sabha MP O Ravindranath, who has been expelled, had also met Stalin and praised that the DMK was governing well in its one-year.
On the day EPS challenged a Madras HC order that made OPS’ expulsion void and directed the AIADMK to go back to its dual leadership, EPS told reporters that the party cadre were dismayed after Ravindranath praised the DMK’s governance.
