<p>A meeting of senior AIADMK leaders to reach a truce between Edappadi K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam ended inconclusively on Friday with leaders owing allegiance to the latter questioning the delay in constituting an 11-member committee to run the party affairs.</p>.<p>As the meeting failed to achieve any results with leaders getting combative, a decision was taken to convene the party’s Executive Committee on September 28 to discuss the issues confronting the party. The Executive Committee to be chaired by the AIADMK presidium chairman is likely to decide on the steering committee, which was part of the deal when OPS merged his faction in August 2017.</p>.<p>There is a possibility that the EC might decide on the date to convene the General Council, the highest policy-making body of the party.</p>.<p>Even before the meeting began on Friday evening, tension gripped the AIADMK headquarters as supporters of EPS and OPS raised slogans hailing them “permanent CM” and “future CM” respectively as they arrived separately to the party headquarters. </p>.<p>After the meeting, the two leaders issued a joint statement announcing the convening of the Executive Committee on September 28, without making the agenda public.</p>.<p>Friday’s meeting came over a month after OPS and EPS issued a joint statement after several party leaders began voicing their opinion that Palaniswami should be projected as the party’s Chief Ministerial candidate for the 2021 elections. </p>.<p>The meeting, sources said, was called by Panneerselvam in his capacity as the party coordinator and senior leaders owing allegiance to him tried to corner Palaniswami, who has been consolidating his position within the party and the government.</p>.<p>A senior leader from the OPS faction was the first to raise the issue of non-constitution of the Steering Committee for the past three years after which a few others who owed allegiance to the deputy chief minister joined him and sought answers on the issue. Palaniswami is understood to have told the OPS faction that he has no problem in constituting the committee.</p>.<p>The sources said another senior leader, who holds an important portfolio in the cabinet, questioned the dominance of a community in the AIADMK. As things seemed to go out of control, Panneerselvam said a meeting of the Executive Committee can be convened to discuss the issues confronting the party, which was accepted.</p>
<p>A meeting of senior AIADMK leaders to reach a truce between Edappadi K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam ended inconclusively on Friday with leaders owing allegiance to the latter questioning the delay in constituting an 11-member committee to run the party affairs.</p>.<p>As the meeting failed to achieve any results with leaders getting combative, a decision was taken to convene the party’s Executive Committee on September 28 to discuss the issues confronting the party. The Executive Committee to be chaired by the AIADMK presidium chairman is likely to decide on the steering committee, which was part of the deal when OPS merged his faction in August 2017.</p>.<p>There is a possibility that the EC might decide on the date to convene the General Council, the highest policy-making body of the party.</p>.<p>Even before the meeting began on Friday evening, tension gripped the AIADMK headquarters as supporters of EPS and OPS raised slogans hailing them “permanent CM” and “future CM” respectively as they arrived separately to the party headquarters. </p>.<p>After the meeting, the two leaders issued a joint statement announcing the convening of the Executive Committee on September 28, without making the agenda public.</p>.<p>Friday’s meeting came over a month after OPS and EPS issued a joint statement after several party leaders began voicing their opinion that Palaniswami should be projected as the party’s Chief Ministerial candidate for the 2021 elections. </p>.<p>The meeting, sources said, was called by Panneerselvam in his capacity as the party coordinator and senior leaders owing allegiance to him tried to corner Palaniswami, who has been consolidating his position within the party and the government.</p>.<p>A senior leader from the OPS faction was the first to raise the issue of non-constitution of the Steering Committee for the past three years after which a few others who owed allegiance to the deputy chief minister joined him and sought answers on the issue. Palaniswami is understood to have told the OPS faction that he has no problem in constituting the committee.</p>.<p>The sources said another senior leader, who holds an important portfolio in the cabinet, questioned the dominance of a community in the AIADMK. As things seemed to go out of control, Panneerselvam said a meeting of the Executive Committee can be convened to discuss the issues confronting the party, which was accepted.</p>
