North East
The first twist in the most recent political drama occurred on Wednesday night when a single High Court judge refused to postpone the party's general council meeting, giving Palaniswami's supporters more confidence. Even though Palaniswami had a huge majority of support, a late-night appeal before a division bench derailed their objectives.
Digital Desk: A coordinated attempt by
the AIADMK's main faction, led by former chief minister E K Palaniswami, to
grab total control of the party and remove the other senior leader, O
Panneerselvam, from office was thwarted by a Madras High Court decision that
arrived at 4.30 am.
By changing the party's bylaws at its
general council meeting on Thursday near Chennai, the court prevented the
AIADMK from enacting a unitary leadership system. While the decision provided
relief for Panneerselvam, it also exposed the level to which the party's
sentiment had shifted in favour of his challenger, Palaniswami, with taunting,
"Go back" chants, and even a few plastic bottles thrown in rage.
The mayhem was a reflection of the
internal turbulence that followed the party's defeat in the state elections
last year, which led to increased calls for a single-leader system even as the
party decided to reconvene on July 11. Since the passing of AIADMK founder J.
Jayalalithaa in 2016, the party has been run by a dual leadership with
Panneerselvam serving as coordinator and Palaniswami serving as joint
coordinator.
The first twist in the most recent
political drama occurred on Wednesday night when a single High Court judge
refused to postpone the party's general council meeting, giving Palaniswami's
supporters more confidence. Even though Palaniswami had a huge majority of
support, a late-night appeal before a division bench derailed their objectives.
Following that, the supporters used
Thursday's gathering in Vanagaram, close to Chennai, as a power play to
demonstrate that the vast majority of the general council's 2,200 or so members
supported the idea of naming Palaniswami as leader.
A sizable contingent of party
delegates from all throughout the state confronted Panneerselvam, who was the
first person to show up for the meeting. The few surviving leaders of his camp
were booed at one point, forcing them to abandon the dais.
Palaniswami entered the hall amid
raucous applause as he was accorded the customary welcome. The meeting quickly
chose Tamilmagan Hussain, a seasoned AIADMK leader, to lead the party's
praesidium. The council announced that the only item on the agenda was to
appoint a single leader, and that all motions that were intended to be approved
at the meeting were rejected.
Panneerselvam was generally left alone
and seemed uncomfortable with how he was being treated, as both of the leaders
sat on each side of Hussain. Party leaders praised Palaniswami profusely, but
they never once mentioned Panneerselvam by name, referring solely to his title."It
was a high-risk strategy, but the leaders on stage were able to handle it
without incident," said a senior AIADMK leader who was on stage during the
meeting.
Panneerselvam's
public criticism of the party and subsequent legal action were met with fury
from the general population. Palaniswami exercised caution on stage, even
yelling at a supporter who attempted to decorate him. He did not heed the
chants of praise coming from the agitated crowd, nor did he grin.
In contrast, Panneerselvam was about
to leave the platform after Hussain announced the next meeting when some
audience members threw plastic bottles at him, humiliating him completely.
Palaniswami would be chosen as the party's general secretary at the subsequent
meeting on July 11, according to senior leader K P Munusamy.
While
this is going on, sources claim that the BJP has offered to help in talks
between the two leaders in an effort to reach an amicable resolution, adding
that there are a number of court issues connected to the dispute that are still
ongoing.
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