Tamil Nadu: Palaniswami hits out at O Panneerselvam, truce unlikely

Chennai: In a clear sign that he is not prepared for any truce with O Panneerselvam in the near future, AIADMK leader Edapaddi K Palaniswami on Thursday, breaking his silence for the first time since the leadership tussle broke out earlier this month, accused him of seeking to freeze the party.

Rejecting Panneerselvam’s request to send Forms A and B to field candidates on the AIADMK’s ‘Two Leaves’ symbol in the upcoming bypolls for local bodies, Palaniswami also made it clear to him that he was no longer the coordinator of the party.

“By filing a complaint with the Avadi Police Commissioner not to permit the party general council meeting, which both of us had convened (on June 23), and by moving the courts, you took all steps to make the party dysfunctional. Sending this letter (for Forms A and B) now is unacceptable,” he told Panneerselvam.

Also Palaniswami said since the general council meeting did not ratify the amendment of the AIADMK bylaw allowing for election of a coordinator and co-coordinator by a single vote, the posts ceased to exist. “Therefore, the letter written by you in the spirit of a coordinator, is not valid,” he said.

According to Palaniswami, now he was the headquarters secretary of the AIADMK and Panneerselvam was its treasurer.

Published on: Thursday, June 30, 2022, 10:21 PM IST