Edappadi K Palaniswami
He released The Dravidian Phoenix, a book tracing the party’s history and milestones since its formation in 1972. However, he expressed displeasure over the removal of more than 130 branch-level secretaries in the district and urged the leadership to avoid such measures. OPS joined DMK, contested on its symbol and won against an AIADMK candidate.
CHENNAI: “No one can shake the AIADMK,” declared party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Saturday as the party marked its 55th foundation day amid signs of continuing discontent within its ranks. After hoisting the party flag and paying floral tributes to the statues of party founder M G Ramachandran and his successor J Jayalalithaa at the party headquarters, Palaniswami said the leaders had faced several challenges and turned them into stepping stones to success. AIADMK would return to power like a phoenix, he said, drawing applause from senior leaders and cadres. Calling the foundation day a “golden day” for Tamil Nadu, Palaniswami said the party was founded to deliver welfare schemes to the people. This is the expectation of party cadres and the general public,” he said. “Velumani said OPS should be inducted into the party. Ridiculing the appeal, he said that if such demands continued, Velumani might eventually ask the leadership to bring back former functionaries such as S Muthusamy, R S Raja Kannappan, S Regupathy and P K Sekarbabu, who had left AIADMK and joined DMK.
He urged functionaries and cadres to work tirelessly, like bees, to bring AIADMK back to power. Party presidium chairman A Tamilmahan Hussain, deputy general secretary K P Munusamy, treasurer Dindigul C Srinivasan and several former ministers and functionaries attended the event. However, senior leaders C Ve Shanmugam, S P Velumani and P Thangamani, along with their supporters, stayed away, signalling that all was not well within the party. Speaking to reporters in Villupuram after paying floral tributes to portraits of MGR and Jayalalithaa, Shanmugam called for the party’s reunification and revival. “I want AIADMK to be reunited and strengthened. Without thinking about the past, those who were expelled and those who left the party should come together. Shanmugam offered to extend full cooperation to restore the party’s past glory, adding that he was not seeking any party post. Shanmugam’s call for reconciliation drew a sharp response from AIADMK whip Agri S S Krishnamurthy, who criticised Velumani’s appeal to bring back former leaders, including O Panneerselvam (OPS) and T T V Dhinakaran. How is it possible? Krishnamurthy asked.
Rejecting Velumani’s claim that Palaniswami had taken the decision to snap ties with the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Krishnamurthy said it was a collective decision. Krishnamurthy drew a distinction between Dhinakaran and V K Sasikala, saying the AMMK leader continued his political journey in association with AIADMK and its alliance, while Sasikala had launched a separate party and fielded candidates against AIADMK nominees in several constituencies. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Chennai | Silver Rate in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai | Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Petrol Price in Chennai | Diesel Price in Chennai | CNG Price in Chennai | LPG Price in Chennai Stay updated with the latest Chennai news.
“Velumani should not forget that,” he said. “Why did they support TVK?” he asked. I want to recall that Velumani was the first to voice opposition to continuing the alliance with BJP,” he said.
He reminded Velumani that he had been part of the decision-making process that led to the expulsion of OPS, Sasikala and others. Krishnamurthy questioned Velumani and other legislators over their alleged actions against the AIADMK’s interests, particularly their support for the TVK-led govt during the floor test. “Our leader (Palaniswami) did not take the call. It was a collective decision. Download the TOI App.