Putting an end to the dual-leadership structure in the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) was on Monday elected as the party’s interim General Secretary at its General Council meeting held here today.
The development follows Madras High Court allowing Tamil Nadu’s main opposition party to hold its General Council meeting and comes as a setback to party’s former coordinator O Pannerselvam (OPS) who had petitioned the court for a stay.
The HC order was passed at 9 am and the GC meeting led by E Palaniswami at the party office in Vanagaram, which was chaired by the presidium chairman A Tamil Mahan Hussain.
The meeting passed as many as 16 resolutions, including one that squashed dual-leadership and created the post of deputy general secretary and to ensure electing a person for the post by the primary members of the party. The party election will be conducted in four months.
The second resolution sought a Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour for E V Ramasamy ‘Periyar’ and C N Annadurai and the later chief minister J Jayalalithaa.
After the demise of Jayalalithaa in 2016, the party has been following a dual-leadership formula with EPS as co-coordinator and OPS as coordinator. The clamour has been growing louder for a single leader in the party since the district secretary meeting on June 14 this year.
Meanwhile ahead of today’s court’s ruling supporters of the EPS and OPS factions clashed on the streets of Chennai. Some people were injured in the clash.
OPS supporter, Kolathur District Secretary, Krishnamurthy got hit by a stone thrown by EPS supporters at the party headquarters. The supporters of OPS and EPS pelted stones against each
other and also burnt posters and banners ahead of the meeting. OPS supporters protested outside AIADMK’s headquarters in Royapettah.
Visuals showed OPS supporters hitting E Palaniswami’s photo with slippers. Some of OPS supporters were seen breaking open the door of AIADMK office.