Only concerned about party’s unity, not leadership, says OPS

MADURAI: AIADMK coordinator and Bodinayakkanur MLA O Panneerselvam while addressing party cadre at Periyakulam, Theni district on Sunday, accorded top priority to the party’s unity, saying he’s not up for any leadership role in the AIADMK.

Party stalwarts –MG Ramachandran, founder and J Jayalalithaa-who are also former chief ministers, left a positive legacy of leadership behind AIADMK, the arch-rival of the current ruling DMK, he said.

Taking pride in the history of the political evolution of the AIADMK, OPS said it’s the only party that ruled Tamil Nadu for two consecutive five-year terms and he credited Jayalalithaa for the achievement. After Jayalalithaa’s lifetime, Edappadi K Palaniswami led AIADMK regime proceeded for a period of four years, but we (OPS and EPS) are divided because of some bitter disappointments.

Recalling the party’s general council meeting at Chennai on June 23, OPS said considering it only as a temporary phenomenon, he himself proposed Tamil Magan Hussain as AIADMK’s presidium chairman and EPS endorsed it.

The council meeting was not organised in a disciplined manner as all resolutions adopted during the schedule after endorsing it were simply rejected by former Minister CVe Shanmugam.

Moreover, many of the attendants at the meeting were not members of the party and unrest was created and hence myself and R Vaithilingam walked out abruptly in the middle of the meeting when the situation got more tense. Meanwhile, during the schedule the next general council meeting was announced in haste, pandemonium apparently ensued.

Citing these, OPS said, ‘while we have ‘cadre’ (thondargal) with us, the EPS-led faction has ‘goondas’(goondargal). Whatever happens, let us forget about it and work in unity,’ he added.

A similar situation prevailed after the lifetime of MGR when the AIADMK was split into factions led by Janaki and Jayalalithaa and it ultimately resulted badly in the party’s fortune. But, only when Jayalalithaa took over, the AIADMK was voted to rule Tamil Nadu. Likewise, it’s time for us to unite and the AIADMK as a whole could achieve victory only through unity, he noted.