Expelled coordinator of the AIADMK, O. Panneerselvam, on Monday said he would never rest until the basic tenets of the party’s constitution, which enabled even an ordinary cadre to become its supreme leader, were restored.
Addressing the ‘Mupperum Vizha’ conference of an outfit which he leads at G. Corner in Tiruchi, the first such public meeting since his expulsion on July 11, 2022, Mr. Paneerselvam claimed the AIADMK was the only party in India whose bylaws provided rights to the grass root cadre to choose their leader.
Since the cadre were the backbone of the party, its founder M.G. Ramachandran gave the right to them. But, former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami had changed the basic tenets of the party constitution so as to deny the opportunity to the cadre to contest for the top post in the party, he charged.
Launching a scathing attack on Mr. Palaniswami, Mr. Panneerselvam said it was nothing but a betrayal of MGR and Jayalalithaa, who “sacrificed their life” for the development of the State until their final days. Mr. Palaniswami would have to pay a heavy price for amending the bylaws for his self interest.
He had proclaimed himself as general secretary leveraging his money power, claimed the ousted coordinator who termed Mr. Palaniswami a “political merchant”. The cadre would not allow him to continue and the time was not far away when he would be thrown out from his self proclaimed post.
Claiming his struggle to retrieve the right of the cadre to choose the leader was his second ‘Dharmayudham’, Mr. Panneerselvam said he would make Mr. Palaniswami accountable for all misdeeds. The party fund was with the control of the traitors and bad elements. No one would be spared if the funds of the AIADMK were misappropriated, he added.
Mr. Panneerselvam who in 2017 rebelled against V.K. Sasikala, former aide of Jayalithaa, accused Mr. Palaniswami of betraying her though she gave him the Chief Ministership.
A resolution was adopted at the public meeting “rejecting” the expulsion of Mr. Panneerselvam and the election of Mr. Palaniswami as general secretary of the AIADMK, in what was claimed to be a “bogus” general council.
Another resolution claimed that Mr. Panneerselvam would continue to function as coordinator of the AIADMK till the end of his intended tenure in 2026. The Election Commission had recently accepted Mr. Palaniswami’s election as the general secretary.
Supporters including former Ministers Panruti Ramachandran and R.Vaithilingam spoke.
