EPS, OPS teams celebrate party’s 51st foundation day

CHENNAI: Sending a symbolic message to AIADMK interim general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami and his team, ousted AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam let white doves at founder MG Ramachandran’s memorial house in T Nagar on Monday.

On the other hand, the EPS camp celebrated the occasion at the party office and preferred to ignore the existence of OPS camp and other warring groups. This left the cadres in quandary over the future of the party.

OPS paid tribute to portraits of former chief ministers CN Annadurai, MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa and hoisted the party flag amidst cheering of his supporters to mark the 51st birth anniversary of the party.

OPS was accompanied by senior leaders R Vaithilingam, P H Manoj Pandian and several supporters.

He set caged white doves to freedom to send across a message to the warring group-led by EPS. He was holding out an olive branch, expressing his wish on multiple occasions, to reconcile with the EPS, AMMK leader TTV Dinakaran and expelled AIADMK leader V K Sasikala.

Nonetheless, the response from the EPS team remained determined to not open the party door to any of them. “It is not a good sign,” said a long time functionary of the party, preferring anonymity. He noted that the leaders ignored the common good of the party, which ruled the state for over three decades.

Flanked by presidium chairman Tamil Magan Hussan, party deputy general secretary KP Munusamy, organising secretary C Ponniayan and several other former ministers, EPS garlanded the statue of MGR and Jayalalithaa at the party headquarters. He distributed sweets to party functionaries gathered in large numbers. “Our party completed 50 years and stepped into the 51st year. This occasion has been celebrated in a grand manner across the state,” EPS told reporters and entered into the party office with his trademark broad smile without responding to the questions on the issue over seating arrangements in the assembly.

EPS and the MLAs in his camp stayed away from the assembly session. “We have been asked to come to the Assembly to the Secretariat at 9 am on Tuesday. It will be decided by the leaders whether to attend the assembly session or boycott the session,” said an MLA in EPS camp.