Even as the factions led by the AIADMK coordinator O. Panneerselvam and co-coordinator Edappadi K. Palaniswami continue their fight, the AIADMK’s side-lined former interim general secretary V.K. Sasikala and the AMMK general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran are engaged in intensified political activity.
Since June 26, Ms. Sasikala is embarking on, what her office calls, ‘puratchi payanam’ (meaning revolutionary journey). She launched her roadshow near Tiruttani bypass that day. After covering parts of Tiruvallur district in her initial round, she will begin her next round on Tuesday in Tindivanam and will cover Vanur and Ulundurpet this week. Mr. Dhinakaran, who began his interaction with the rank and file of the party in the Nilgiris, Coimbatore and Virudhunagar in the first half of last month, has been going to other places of the State. On Sunday and Monday, he covered Salem and Dharmapuri.
Sources in the two camps deny the suggestion that the programmes of Ms. Sasikala and Mr. Dhinakaran have anything to do with the developments in the AIADMK. They say the events were planned well ahead of the commencement of the infighting in the Dravidian major.
However, there is a difference between the positions of the two on the nature of leadership that the AIADMK should have. On Sunday, Ms. Sasikala emphasised the need for single leadership, which, she stressed, should be one elected by all members of the party. On the other hand, Mr Dhinakaran, replying to a journalist’s query in Dharmapuri, said that though he felt sad over the happenings in the party which was once led by former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, it did not matter to him whether the AIADMK held the general council meeting or not or who became the general secretary of the party, as he was now running a party of his own.
Meanwhile, former MP K.C. Palaniswamy, who claims himself to be a member of the AIADMK despite having been expelled from the party in March 2018, wrote to the Election Commission (EC), seeking direction from the panel to the party that the incumbent for the post of general secretary be elected by primary members, as stipulated in the erstwhile rule 20 (ii) of the bylaws, and the original constitution of the party be restored.
Addressing a press conference in the city, Marudhu Alagaraj, spokesperson of the AIADMK and who was, till recently, editor of “Namadhu Amma,” regarded as the party’s mouthpiece, defended the system of “dual leadership” in the party.
