Singular leadership issue raised in AIADMK meet, but no decision

The faction led by EPS stunned the meeting of district secretaries by reviving the topic of reverting to 'singular leadership'

Knives were out in the AIADMK, the principal opposition party in Tamil Nadu, on Tuesday when several senior leaders and district secretaries demanded that the party revert to “singular leadership” like the times of M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa by abolishing the current “dual leadership.”

Supporters of Edappadi K Palaniswami, joint coordinator and Leader of Opposition, surprised O Panneerselvam, the coordinator, and his camp by raising the demand for a “singular leadership” at a meeting of district secretaries convened primarily to discuss the invitees for the General Council meeting scheduled on June 23.

Though a majority of those who spoke at the meeting expressed their views against the current dual leadership and advocated a singular leadership – some mentioned the name of EPS -- no decision on the “sensitive issue” was taken, sources told DH.

“The discussion on singular leadership wasn’t on the agenda. But suddenly it was brought up. I think their (EPS) camp tested the waters. Though EPS has a majority in the party, it won’t be easy to sideline OPS,” a senior leader said.

The sources said a former minister from Chennai, who was allowed to speak after the meeting was over at the instance of EPS, raised the issue by complaining that the “dual leadership” was causing trouble to the party, and it was high time the arrangement was replaced with the “time-tested” singular leadership – he meant EPS.

Soon, another senior leader who attended the meeting said, former ministers and district secretaries batted for “singular leadership”. While EPS allowed the discussion, OPS remained silent throughout the meeting without voicing his opinion.

“While many took the name of EPS for the post, some remained neutral by just speaking in favour of the singular leadership. Noted among those who didn’t propose any name but batted for singular leadership is K A Sengottaiyan, a veteran AIADMK man,” the second leader told DH on the condition of anonymity.

Senior leaders J C D Prabhakar, and Manoj Pandian spoke against the need for “singular leadership” saying OPS should not be embarrassed again and again.

“They were the only two leaders who batted for OPS. They said OPS has been made to sacrifice more than once in the interest of the party. He should remain as coordinator of the party was their opinion. They pitched for greater coordination between leadership and cadre,” the second leader quoted above said.

After J Jayalalithaa’s death in 2016, her long-time aide V K Sasikala was appointed as interim general secretary, but EPS and OPS joined hands to keep the latter and her family away from the AIADMK. To ensure that the party stays united, OPS and EPS experimented with a “dual leadership” for the first time in the history of AIADMK – they introduced amendments to the bye-laws of the party to allow them to get elected through a single-vote system.

However, the almost five-year-old experiment seems to be failing. The demand made on Tuesday was a surprise for many as just a month ago Palaniswami, the joint coordinator, said that the demand for a “singular leadership” doesn’t arise at all as he and Panneerselvam were “working together” in the interests of the party.

The development comes just a week before the party’s powerful General Council is set to convene on June 23 and amid AIADMK’s ally BJP trying to project itself as the principal Opposition party.

At Tuesday’s meeting, former ministers Velumani and Thangamani were learnt to have objected to Prabhakar’s comment that an alliance with BJP had cost the AIADMK minority votes.

For the record, former minister and EPS supporter D Jayakumar told reporters that “the majority of district secretaries and office bearers” who attended the meeting were in favour of the party getting back to being helmed by one person rather than two.

“The discussions took place in a cordial and healthy way. The majority of those who attended the meeting supported singular leadership,” Jayakumar said.

However, Jayakumar said “party will decide” when asked whether there was any discussion on the leader who will take charge in case of the single leadership formula being accepted.

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 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.

OPS, who lost his support base slowly to EPS, was hoping for Sasikala, the woman against whom he rebelled, to take over the party. But as things stand today, EPS is dead opposed to Sasikala’s re-entry into the party – a stand that is supported by many leaders, including those perceived to be close to OPS.

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.