OPS Stages Walkout Amid Cheers for EPS During AIADMK Meet; No Resolution Passed

The AIADMK will decide on its leadership issue in the next general council meeting on 11 July.

Amid the commotion, the Executive and General Council meetings of the main Opposition AIADMK in Tamil Nadu commenced in Chennai.

(Photo: PTI)

The general council meeting of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) in Tamil Nadu ended in a stalemate on Thursday, 23 June, as no resolutions were passed regarding the "single leadership" demand in favour of party joint coordinator Edappadi K Palaniswami, or EPS.

Party leader O Panneerselvam (OPS) walked out of the meeting in Chennai amid demands for Palaniswami to lead the AIADMK. A Plastic bottle were also allegedly hurled at him while he was leaving the venue. R Vaithilingam, Manoj Pandian, and JCD Prabhakar also staged a walkout.

Meanwhile, all the 23 pre-approved resolutions were rejected at the meeting.

Senior AIADMK leader KP Munusamy said that the 23 resolutions, along with that of the single leadership, would be passed in the next meeting. "These will be discussed and adopted only when the unitary leadership is discussed in the next meeting."

This comes in the backdrop of a court directive that restrained the party from initiating any decisive move over the single leadership issue during Thursday's meeting.

If the resolution on amending bylaws is passed, Palaniswami could be elected as the party's general secretary. While he has been vying for sole leadership of the party, Panneerselvam wants the status-quo or dual leadership to remain.

The next general council meeting will be held on 11 July.

Addressing a function, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin made a veiled reference to the infighting, saying that those who wanted to decimate his party have now been wiped out, news agency PTI reported.

Sloganeering, Show of Support for EPS at General Council Meet

At the party's general council Meeting, Tamil Magan Hussain was elected as the AIADMK presidium chairman. He had hitherto been the interim presidium chairman.

When the meeting had begun, supporters of O Panneerselvam and EPS had engaged in rival sloganeering as the two leaders entered the premises of the wedding hall in Vanagaram near Chennai, where the meeting was held.

While OPS was the first to enter the venue with his supporters, EPS made his entry later. Party workers showered flowers and petals on EPS' vehicles to welcome him, and it took over an hour and a half for the leader to get to the venue.

A security blanket was also thrown over the suburban locality to ensure law and order.

Veterans including C Ponnaiyan, Dindigul Srinivasan, KA Sengottaiyan, and senior office-bearers like former minister D Jayakumar were at the venue to take part in the party's brainstorming meet, which had been called to look into the sole leader demand.

After the AIADMK meeting, K Annamalai, the head of the BJP's state unit, and senior leader CT Ravi paid Palaniswami a visit to ask for his support towards Droupadi Murmu, the National Democratic Alliance's presidential candidate.

Court Hearings on Wednesday

An emergency hearing was called at Justice M Duraiswamy's house at 12:15 am on Thursday, following which the court ruled that no unannounced resolutions would be taken up at the meeting of the AIADMK general and executive councils. It has restrained the EPS camp from initiating any decisive move over the single leadership issue.

As many as 23 resolutions are set to be adopted. The venue of the meeting at suburban Vanagaram, a spacious marriage hall, was decorated with flowers and the entire locality wore a festive look with party flags fluttering everywhere and colourful flex boards of leaders placed prominently.

The first order from Wednesday had refused to stall AIADMK's general council meeting scheduled for 23 June and prevent its bylaws from being amended, despite OPS pleading for relief.

(With inputs from PTI)