Chennai:
The Madras High Court on Monday allowed a crucial general council meeting of the AIADMK to decide the future leadership structure of the party.
The court was hearing a plea filed by top AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam or OPS to stall the meeting called by the faction led by Edappady K Palaniswami, also known as EPS. While the meeting was scheduled to begin at 9:15 am, the court gave its order at 9 am.
In the meeting, the 2500-plus strong General Council largely with pro-EPS members is expected to elevate EPS as the interim general secretary of the party, abolishing the present dual leadership model. The meeting is also likely to strip OPS’s position as Treasurer.
However, OPS claimed the meeting convened by the EPS camp is illegal. He argued only the Coordinator and the Joint Coordinator can convene the meeting as per law. And this meeting called by the newly-appointed Praesidium Chairman is technically illegal and hence untenable, OPS said.
However, team EPS argued that dual leadership is no longer in force as the previous meeting held on June 23 did not ratify the election of both leaders and hence the Presidium Chairman convening the meeting, and the headquarters office-bearers sending invites are legal.
They also pointed out OPS was appointed as the party boss in 2017 adopting the same model.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday permitted Team EPS to go ahead with the meeting following the law
While EPS wants singular leadership, OPS wants the present dual leadership to continue.
At the meeting venue in Vangaram, there were no pictures of OPS at all but only MGR, EPS and Jayalalithaa’s images had been put up.
Jayalalithaa had twice handpicked OPS to be her stand-in-chief minister when she had to step down following her conviction. Though OPS was elevated for the third time just before she died, Jayalalithaa’s aide VK Sasikala, who briefly took over the party, replaced him with EPS after he rebelled against her.
She announced EPS as Chief Minister before she went to jail in the disproportionate assets case in which Jayalalithaa was the prime accused.
However, in a sensational political twist, both leaders patched up and expelled Sasikala when she was in jail. OPS became the number one in the party and EPS his deputy. In the government, OPS became Chief Minister EPS’ deputy.
During his four-year term as chief minister, EPS consolidated his position and brought the party under his control.