Post ECI recognition, Shah invite, EPS asks rebels to return

CHENNAI: AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami received a shot in the arm after the Election Commission of India (ECI) formally recognised him as the party leader and uploaded the list of office-bearers on its website, on Tuesday.

In yet another political victory in the bitter battle for the party reins, Palaniswami also received an invitation from senior leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to take part in the meeting of the BJP-led NDA in Delhi on July 18. Later in the day, armed with the ECI’s recognition as the leader of the AIADMK, Palaniswami issued an open call to dissident leaders and cadres to return to the party fold after tendering a letter of apology in person to the general secretary.

Welcoming the ECI move to recognise the faction and its general secretary as the official party and leader, respectively, former minister and senior leader RB Udhayakumar said Palaniswami would announce the decision on attending the NDA meeting.

Even while admitting that party functionaries have different opinions on continuing with the alliance, Udhayakumar said, “This cannot be disclosed at this point in time.” Poonga Nagar Selvam, the joint secretary of North Chennai district unit, said Palaniswami wanted to go solo in the coming general elections as was done by party founder MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa.

“He is not very keen on allying with the BJP as he wants to make the party the single-largest party. However, due to certain compulsion from senior functionaries, he is likely to continue in the alliance,” he claimed.

According to political commentator and Madras High Court advocate S Agneeswaran, the AIADMK had officially submitted to the Election Commission the details of the election of Palaniswami and other office-bearers. “The ECI uploading the list of district secretaries, office-bearers and other party functionaries is a huge political boost for EPS,” he said.

The call to dissident members of the party, who are now splintered into different camps, was a masterstroke by Palaniswami to strengthen AIADMK before the Lok Sabha polls scheduled next year, he said. This might prompt some of the senior functionaries who are now with O Panneerselvam, VK Sasikala and TTV Dhinakaran to rejoin the AIADMK, Agneeswaran opined.

Meanwhile, Panneerselvam’s camp said on Tuesday that it would hold a State-wide protest on August 1 to urge the government to expedite the probe in the 2017 Kodanad heist-cum-murder case and punish the culprits. The protest is also to condemn the government for ‘sleeping’ over the case without giving adequate attention and importance, OPS loyalist R Vaithilingam said.