<p>Pushed to the corner by the current AIADMK leadership under Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS), the party faction of expelled leader O Panneerselvam (OPS) on Wednesday made a fervent appeal to its alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party to “bring together the two factions” like it did in 2017.</p>.<p>The BJP had stepped in to unite the party when the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam had been mired with crisis months after the death of J Jayalalithaa.</p>.<p>R Vaithilingam, deputy coordinator of the AIADMK, who was expelled along with OPS in July, said there was “nothing wrong” in BJP interfering in the internal affairs of the party, as the two outfits were in alliance and enjoyed “good relations” between them.</p>.<p>Vaithilingam also said the BJP should play a major role in bringing together the two factions led by EPS and OPS, and unite the party so as to fulfil the demands of the cadre.</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/national-politics/top-bjp-leaders-call-for-truce-between-panneerselvam-and-palaniswami-in-aiadmk-1150127.html" target="_blank">Top BJP leaders call for truce between Panneerselvam and Palaniswami in AIADMK</a></strong></p>.<p>Political analysts interpreted Vaithilingam’s comments as a desperate attempt by the OPS camp to make peace with the EPS faction which didn’t look to be in any mood to agree for a merger. They also said the “open call” by the OPS faction expressing their helplessness will further embolden the EPS camp.</p>.<p>Vaithilingam, an influential leader from the dominant Mukulathor community to which OPS and V K Sasikala belong, also claimed that the AIADMK leadership crisis would come to an end after OPS meets Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah “very soon.”</p>.<p>AIADMK, which is now split into several factions following the death of Jayalalithaa, is an ally of the BJP, which had played an important role in the merger of EPS and OPS factions in 2017 that eventually saved the Dravidian party-led government in Tamil Nadu.</p>.<p>However, this time, the BJP decided to stay away from the AIADMK’s internal crisis by taking a neutral stand.</p>.<p>“When OPS raised a rebellion (against Sasikala in 2017), it was them (BJP) who united the AIADMK. OPS himself said this a couple of times. It is not wrong on the part of the BJP to interfere and sort out the issues in the AIADMK. Cadres want the party to be united and since BJP is an alliance partner, it can interfere,” Vaithilingam said.</p>.<p>After being expelled from the party, OPS and his supporters have been knocking the doors of the judiciary seeking a stay against the AIADMK General Council meeting that appointed EPS as the interim general secretary.</p>.<p>OPS, who stood for Jayalalithaa twice when she had to resign as chief minister due to corruption cases, lost his clout within the party after the 2017 Marina Rebellion against Sasikala. This development happened even as EPS consolidated his position within the party by completing his tenure and leading the AIADMK to the best-ever performance in a losing election.</p>.<p>Palaniswami, hand-picked by Sasikala as Chief Minister in 2017 before she went to serve her four-year term in a disproportionate assets (DA) case, had stonewalled BJP’s proposal to induct her into the party or alliance before the 2021 assembly polls, maintaining that the “core vote bank” of the AIADMK stays with the party and not the splinter group.</p>
<p>Pushed to the corner by the current AIADMK leadership under Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS), the party faction of expelled leader O Panneerselvam (OPS) on Wednesday made a fervent appeal to its alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party to “bring together the two factions” like it did in 2017.</p>.<p>The BJP had stepped in to unite the party when the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam had been mired with crisis months after the death of J Jayalalithaa.</p>.<p>R Vaithilingam, deputy coordinator of the AIADMK, who was expelled along with OPS in July, said there was “nothing wrong” in BJP interfering in the internal affairs of the party, as the two outfits were in alliance and enjoyed “good relations” between them.</p>.<p>Vaithilingam also said the BJP should play a major role in bringing together the two factions led by EPS and OPS, and unite the party so as to fulfil the demands of the cadre.</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/national-politics/top-bjp-leaders-call-for-truce-between-panneerselvam-and-palaniswami-in-aiadmk-1150127.html" target="_blank">Top BJP leaders call for truce between Panneerselvam and Palaniswami in AIADMK</a></strong></p>.<p>Political analysts interpreted Vaithilingam’s comments as a desperate attempt by the OPS camp to make peace with the EPS faction which didn’t look to be in any mood to agree for a merger. They also said the “open call” by the OPS faction expressing their helplessness will further embolden the EPS camp.</p>.<p>Vaithilingam, an influential leader from the dominant Mukulathor community to which OPS and V K Sasikala belong, also claimed that the AIADMK leadership crisis would come to an end after OPS meets Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah “very soon.”</p>.<p>AIADMK, which is now split into several factions following the death of Jayalalithaa, is an ally of the BJP, which had played an important role in the merger of EPS and OPS factions in 2017 that eventually saved the Dravidian party-led government in Tamil Nadu.</p>.<p>However, this time, the BJP decided to stay away from the AIADMK’s internal crisis by taking a neutral stand.</p>.<p>“When OPS raised a rebellion (against Sasikala in 2017), it was them (BJP) who united the AIADMK. OPS himself said this a couple of times. It is not wrong on the part of the BJP to interfere and sort out the issues in the AIADMK. Cadres want the party to be united and since BJP is an alliance partner, it can interfere,” Vaithilingam said.</p>.<p>After being expelled from the party, OPS and his supporters have been knocking the doors of the judiciary seeking a stay against the AIADMK General Council meeting that appointed EPS as the interim general secretary.</p>.<p>OPS, who stood for Jayalalithaa twice when she had to resign as chief minister due to corruption cases, lost his clout within the party after the 2017 Marina Rebellion against Sasikala. This development happened even as EPS consolidated his position within the party by completing his tenure and leading the AIADMK to the best-ever performance in a losing election.</p>.<p>Palaniswami, hand-picked by Sasikala as Chief Minister in 2017 before she went to serve her four-year term in a disproportionate assets (DA) case, had stonewalled BJP’s proposal to induct her into the party or alliance before the 2021 assembly polls, maintaining that the “core vote bank” of the AIADMK stays with the party and not the splinter group.</p>
