AIADMK drama: OPS has a 'relationship' with DMK, EPS says

CHENNAI: O Panneerselvam is selfish and does not want anyone to gain a position if he doesn’t get, said Edappadi K Palaniswami, who was appointed as AIADMK interim general secretary by the party general council on Monday. OPS also enjoys a 'relationship' with the ruling DMK, EPS alleged.


Launching a scathing attack on OPS, Palaniswami claimed that the former chief minister was the only leader in the country to have complained to police against the conduct of general council meeting after inviting the members.

“OPS is having a relationship with the DMK. If a leader of the party does have such a relationship, how could the party come to power? Is this his own party or a company like the DMK? It cannot happen in the AIADMK. If not Palaniswamy, a Chinnasamy in the gathering will get the position,” Palaniswami said, amid loud claps from the general council.

He took a dig at OPS’s son and Lok Sabha member O P Ravindhranath for commending the Stalin government. The AIADMK was floated by MGR against “the evil force, the DMK,” EPS said

Palaniswami narrated how the senior leaders had made futile attempts to convince OPS to revert to a single leadership as per the wishes of the people and partymen to return to power. He himself, and senior functionaries and the district secretaries were aware of the problems of having dual leadership.

“He (OPS) always said that he had given up many things. Only we have given up, not you,” EPS said, adding how he had been loyal to the party for 48 years since he became area secretary of Siluvampalayam village in Salem district, while OPS had worked as a chief election agent of rival candidate of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa in Bodinayakanur constituency.

Instead of taking part in general council, OPS had gone to party headquarters with rowdy elements, broken open the doors with iron rods, laptops and taken away the records, EPS said pointing to the drama at party headquarters in Royapettah while the GS meeting was happening in Vanagaram. “He incited violence and now exposed who he has been in a relationship with. Is he a loyalist?” Palaniswami asked.

He condemned the DMK government for “enacting a drama” at the party headquarters with the support of OPS, despite the party submitting representation to provide security.