Chennai: The feud within the AIADMK raged on with former Chief Ministers K. Palaniswami and O. Panneerselvam drawing swords against each other once more, and this time, over veteran leader Panruti S. Ramachandran.
Deposed leader Panneerselvam on Tuesday appointed Ramachandran as the political advisor of the party. Hours after this appointment, party interim General Secretary Palaniswami expelled Ramachandran from the primary membership of the party and relieved him of all party positions. In a statement, he called upon the party cadres not to have any truck with the veteran leader.
Ramachandran had, in a statement a few days before, said that if Palaniswami was at the helm of affairs of the AIADMK, the party would turn extinct.
Palaniswami, in a statement, said that Ramachandran was being removed from all responsibilities of the AIADMK including the post of Organising Secretary.
He also said that Ramachandran was also removed from the primary membership of the party as he has brought “disrepute” to the AIADMK.
However, the posting by Panneerselvam does not have legal or technical validity as he was expelled by the AIADMK General Council held on July 11. While a single bench of the Madras High Court had nullified the July 11 order, a division bench upheld the decision.
The AIADMK is in the midst of a major power struggle with the two former Chief Ministers on opposite sides of the fence.
While a majority of the party General Council members and office bearers have shown allegiance to the faction led by Palaniswami, the Panneerselvam group states that the party cadres are with them. It has to be seen as to how the AIADMK politics would develop in the days to come as the powerful Thevar community which has a major strength in south Tamil Nadu throwing its weight behind Panneerselvam and V.K. Sasikala – both Thevars.
(IANS)
