No place in AIADMK for people like OPS, his supporters ‘who take party to courts’: EPS

AIADMK interim general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami asserted on Thursday that there was “no place” in the party for leaders like O Panneerselvam. Palaniswami, popularly known among the party as EPS, also accused Panneerselvam of conspiring against the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and bringing disrepute to it.

“Such people have no place in the AIADMK. This is a political party which runs on the strength of its cadre,” Palaniswami told reporters in Salem, “Cadres rule this party and not leaders. People who took the party to courts and made baseless allegations have no place in the AIADMK.”

EPS was responding to comments from leaders of the party faction led by Panneerselvam (OPS) that the cadre wanted the party to be united. Palaniswami said it was the General Council that decided to expel OPS and his supporters from the party for indiscipline.

Meanwhile, the AIADMK called for a meeting of its district secretaries in Chennai on October 10.

Palaniswami’s assertion came a day after the OPS faction appealed to AIADMK’s allied partner, Bharatiya Janata Party, to “bring together the two factions” like it did in 2017—months after the death of J Jayalalithaa—and “unite the party” once again.

R Vaithilingam, deputy coordinator of the AIADMK who was expelled along with OPS in July, said there was “nothing wrong” in the BJP interfering in AIADMK’s internal affairs as the two parties are in alliance and enjoy “good relations”.

“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 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 had said.

AIADMK, which 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.

This time, however, the BJP stayed away from the AIADMK’s internal crisis by taking a neutral stand.

OPS, who stood in Jayalalithaa stead 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.