Single leadership row in AIADMK further intensifies

CHENNAI: Barely a day after the demand for single leadership in the AIADMK, posters have emerged on Wednesday appealing to the party coordinator O Panneerselvam to head the outfit as the party's sole leader. Party coordinator OPS in a tweet urged all the the AIADMK cadres to be silent and maintain calm.

The focus of the AIADMK's district secretary meeting on Tuesday was to discuss the preparation for the party's general council meeting. However, the main agenda has drifted and debate has erupted for single leadership to steer the party.

Though the AIADMK senior leader and former state fisheries minister D Jayakumar did not disclose who would be the choice for the single leader to head the party, coordinator O Panneerselvam (OPS), and joint coordinator Edappadi K Palanisamy (EPS). Meanwhile the supporters of both OPS and EPS continued thier internal discussions with thier leaders on the agenda for the upcoming general council.

"Both OPS and EPS will not give up their positions as they have their own set of region-wise supporters,” K C Palanisamy former AIADMK MP said. In my views the top leadership should be selected by the party members so that the cadre confidence will grow. "Therefore, single leadership will always strengthen the party,” he said adding "if this issue continues to grow there are chances that the AIADMK might split into factions". The former AIADMK leader also pointed out that the posters hailing OPS and EPS were not put up by the AIADMK cadres. "It would have been done by the close aids of both the leaders,” he alleged.

"The posters, which have been put up in Chennai and Theni in support of OPS to head the party, have clearly indicated that the OPS camp will not give up the fight. Even EPS loyalists are too very firm against bringing single leadership other than EPS" said former AIADMK IT wing secretary Aspire Swaminathan. This time OPS is firm and is likely not to yeild for the single leadership mooted by the team EPS, Swaminathan told DT Next.

For the second consecutive day, OPS met AIADMK leaders including Vaithiyalingam and Manoj Pandian over the single leadership row. Though senior party functionary Vaithiyalingam did not attach any significance with regard to the meeting, party sources said the loyalists of OPS have extended their full support to their leader to head the party.

Supporting single leadership, former AIADMK zonal secretary of Harbour constituency Vilvam K, there should one leader to head the party as a whole and another should lead the Opposition in the Assembly. "Two top leaders in the party always create confusion among the cadres and it is not good for the future,” he added.

However, AIADMK sources further said that the issue of single leadership would surely erupt in the party's general council meeting, which is expected to take a final call.

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