Hindustan Times: Chennai: Monday, 01 August 2022.
In another setback for expelled leader O Panneerselvam (OPS), a Right to Information (RTI) Act reply from the Election Commission of India (ECI) has said that it has not received any information regarding the change in AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) bylaws on December 2021 which solidified his position along with Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) as coordinator and joint-coordinators.
Supporters of AIADMK’s new interim general secretary Palaniswami say that this simply reiterates their argument that these positions are now defunct since it has not been ratified. Meanwhile, AIADMK leader V K Sasikala who is still fighting a battle against her being removed as the interim general secretary in 2017 while she was in jail, has now moved the Madras high court against a civil court order. Sasikala’s appeal is against an order by a civil court passed on April 11 which rejected her plea that her removal from the top post is illegal. The case is expected to come up in the ensuing week.
The RTI was filed by one of AIADMK’s officer bearers G Soacrates from Tamil Nadu’s Pollachi. In his plea, Soacrates had sought to know one whether the resolution passed in general body meeting on June 23 was passed in accordance with the AIADMK’s bylaws and two the ECI’s records on the bylaws sent by AlADMK to the body since December 2021 till now.
Soacrates had stated that the no one else filed nominations and OPS and EPS were elected by the party according to party bylaws in December 2021. “In recent days groupism” has formed and everything is happening as per wish and wills of EPS group who are acting against the party bylaws, he had said.
OPS had gone to court challenging the moves within the AIADMK to make EPS the next singular leader. The Madras HC had initially favoured OPS so in the June 23 general council meeting, the party was not allowed to pass any resolution to make changes to its bylaws but the party made it clear that they were backing EPS and they booed OPS and his supporters out of the meeting.
The meeting rejected all the 23 resolutions it was meant to pass, including the December 2021 change to the bylaws. “Obviously what the ECI has said in the RTI reply is the truth. This is what we have been saying from the beginning that since December 2021 changes were not ratified during that meeting, the posts of coordinator and joint coordinator have ceased to exist,” said a senior AIADMK leader and a key associate of EPS, who did not wish to be named. “OPS and his few supporters are refusing to accept the reality. So they are fighting us in courts and they are getting rejected there too,” he said.
In the subsequent July 11 AIADMK general council meeting, Palaniswami was chosen as the interim general secretary and Panneerselvam was expelled as a primary member and from all party posts. Since then the former has been removing those considered close to the latter.“What’s happening in the party now is autocratic,” said a party veteran, a supporter of OPS, who was expelled.
OPS’ sons, Ravindranath and Jayapradeep, are among several AIADMK leaders who have been removed. While Panneerselvam has been challenging these proceedings, Sasikala maintains that she is the general secretary of the AIADMK and she would unite all factions.
OPS had also challenged his expulsion in the Supreme Court. In another jolt for OPS, the top court refused to stay the July 11 decision of the party’s general council meeting expelling OPS from the party. The SC also sent back the matter to the Madras high court to hear the matter afresh and dispose it within three weeks without being influenced by its own previous decisions.
OPS continues to maintain that no one has power to expel him. He has been releasing statements in the official AIADMK letterhead and appointing his loyalists to party positions. “Things always change. One day things will change and those who unceremoniously insulted OPS will face such embarrassment,” said the expelled OPS supporter quoted above.
In another setback for expelled leader O Panneerselvam (OPS), a Right to Information (RTI) Act reply from the Election Commission of India (ECI) has said that it has not received any information regarding the change in AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) bylaws on December 2021 which solidified his position along with Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) as coordinator and joint-coordinators.
Supporters of AIADMK’s new interim general secretary Palaniswami say that this simply reiterates their argument that these positions are now defunct since it has not been ratified. Meanwhile, AIADMK leader V K Sasikala who is still fighting a battle against her being removed as the interim general secretary in 2017 while she was in jail, has now moved the Madras high court against a civil court order. Sasikala’s appeal is against an order by a civil court passed on April 11 which rejected her plea that her removal from the top post is illegal. The case is expected to come up in the ensuing week.
The RTI was filed by one of AIADMK’s officer bearers G Soacrates from Tamil Nadu’s Pollachi. In his plea, Soacrates had sought to know one whether the resolution passed in general body meeting on June 23 was passed in accordance with the AIADMK’s bylaws and two the ECI’s records on the bylaws sent by AlADMK to the body since December 2021 till now.
Soacrates had stated that the no one else filed nominations and OPS and EPS were elected by the party according to party bylaws in December 2021. “In recent days groupism” has formed and everything is happening as per wish and wills of EPS group who are acting against the party bylaws, he had said.
OPS had gone to court challenging the moves within the AIADMK to make EPS the next singular leader. The Madras HC had initially favoured OPS so in the June 23 general council meeting, the party was not allowed to pass any resolution to make changes to its bylaws but the party made it clear that they were backing EPS and they booed OPS and his supporters out of the meeting.
The meeting rejected all the 23 resolutions it was meant to pass, including the December 2021 change to the bylaws. “Obviously what the ECI has said in the RTI reply is the truth. This is what we have been saying from the beginning that since December 2021 changes were not ratified during that meeting, the posts of coordinator and joint coordinator have ceased to exist,” said a senior AIADMK leader and a key associate of EPS, who did not wish to be named. “OPS and his few supporters are refusing to accept the reality. So they are fighting us in courts and they are getting rejected there too,” he said.
In the subsequent July 11 AIADMK general council meeting, Palaniswami was chosen as the interim general secretary and Panneerselvam was expelled as a primary member and from all party posts. Since then the former has been removing those considered close to the latter.“What’s happening in the party now is autocratic,” said a party veteran, a supporter of OPS, who was expelled.
OPS’ sons, Ravindranath and Jayapradeep, are among several AIADMK leaders who have been removed. While Panneerselvam has been challenging these proceedings, Sasikala maintains that she is the general secretary of the AIADMK and she would unite all factions.
OPS had also challenged his expulsion in the Supreme Court. In another jolt for OPS, the top court refused to stay the July 11 decision of the party’s general council meeting expelling OPS from the party. The SC also sent back the matter to the Madras high court to hear the matter afresh and dispose it within three weeks without being influenced by its own previous decisions.
OPS continues to maintain that no one has power to expel him. He has been releasing statements in the official AIADMK letterhead and appointing his loyalists to party positions. “Things always change. One day things will change and those who unceremoniously insulted OPS will face such embarrassment,” said the expelled OPS supporter quoted above.
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