EPS rejects OPS's offer for reconciliation, moves court against single judge order on AIADMK meet

OPS said there had never been an issue with dual leadership

Notwithstanding the setback due to a court verdict, former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Thursday rejected O Panneerselvam’s “offer for reconciliation” to “jointly strengthen” the AIADMK. He also moved the Madras High Court seeking to quash a single judge’s verdict ordering status quo in the party as on June 23.

Palaniswami’s assertion and the decision to knock at the doors of the judiciary came hours after Panneerselvam, who has no visible support in party forums, struck a conciliatory tone by expressing his interest in sitting across the table with the latter to “sort out issues.” Panneerselvam said the AIADMK should work under a “collective leadership” and appeared to invite V K Sasikala and T T V Dhinakaran also to join the party to “further strengthen” it.

The offer by Panneerselvam came a day after Justice G Jayachandran of the Madras High Court ruled in his favour by ordering status quo as on June 23 after declaring that July 11 General Council meeting which “unanimously” Palaniswami as the interim general secretary was not convened by “person competent” to call the meeting.

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As per the judgment, Panneerselvam is back as coordinator of the AIADMK, albeit for now, and Palaniswami will be the joint coordinator. “Let us leave the past behind us and march together towards the future. All of us should unite to strengthen the AIADMK,” Panneerselvam said and expressed his interest to initiate a dialogue with the rival EPS camp.

However, Palaniswami outright rejected the offer from Panneerselvam seeking to know how he can arrive at a compromise with a person who “instigated” his supporters to attack the AIADMK headquarters hours before the General Council meeting on July 11.

“He (OPS) has made such offers earlier too. He talks of holding a dialogue when his political stocks plummet. What is there to talk to him? He has never worked for the party. He is only interested in making his son a Union Minister. He is the one who led the attack against AIADMK headquarters,” Palaniswami said.

Later, his team moved a petition before a division bench seeking a stay on the order passed by justice Jayachandran on Wednesday.

Palaniswami also used Panneerselvam’s statement vis-à-vis Sasikala to take a dig at him seeking to know against whom he rebelled in 2017. “His dharma yudham was against her (Sasikala) and why does he say he will work with her. Whenever the leadership issue crops up, he invokes her (Sasikala’s) name,” Palaniswami said. He also accused OPS of “being in touch” with the ruling DMK.

At the GC meeting on July 11, Palaniswami was elected as interim general secretary and a motion was moved to expel Panneerselvam and his supporters. However, Panneerselvam filed a petition before the High Court seeking to declare as “illegal” the July 11 GC meeting as it was called by the Presidium Chairman who he said wasn’t authorised to convene the GC.

Senior journalist R Bhagwan Singh said both want to be survivors in the anti-DMK opposition platform rather hoping to get hold of the maximum from the post-Jayalalithaa AIADMK cadre base that has “hugely depleted.”

“EPS cannot go back to Sasikala who made him the chief minister after throwing out OPS. Having publicly disowned and distanced himself from Sasikala and repeatedly declared that door is shut for her in AIADMK, EPS cannot open up space for her and for OPS, there is no other way but to keep some political space for him by turning to his Thevar community’s uncrowned queen,” Singh told DH.