OPS vows to retrieve lost rights of AIADMK cadre to elect leader

TIRUCHY: Former chief minister and ousted AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam on Monday said, they have commenced a Dharma Yutham to retrieve the lost rights of the party cadre at the grassroots level and they are ready for any sacrifice to rescue the party from Edappadi K Palaniswami group, which has no ethics except money and muscle power.

Addressing a massive gathering of the party cadre at the sentimental G-Corner here during the state conference tagged as Puratchi Maanadu, OPS said, the AIADMK is the party that has been built with a strong foundation of the cadre at the grassroots level. But, at present, EPS has played against the policy of the party and ‘purchased’ the district secretaries and declared himself as the general secretary only by pouring a huge amount of money.

“Was this the policy of the party that was founded by MGR? AIADMK is the party that stands high by giving utmost importance to the party cadre at the grassroots level and they are eligible to elect the party leaders and therefore the appointment of the EPS camp is absolutely against the party bylaw and invalid,” OPS said.

Claiming that there were over 2,000 rowdies lodged by the EPS in the General Body meeting hall and they prevented him from talking, OPS said, his men were ridiculed and their vehicles were ransacked and water bottles thrown at them. “We are the Thooya Thondargal (pure cadre) of Jaya and we were not for any atrocities and we could leave the hall humiliated,” he recalled.

OPS said that the G-Corner is sentimentally attached to ‘Amma’ and so as the true followers of Amma, they have gathered there, he said. “This is the Dharma Yutham for retrieval of the rights of the cadre and there is no cadre and religion among us as we have gathered with one aim to rescue the party from the unwanted people and we will fight until that target has been achieved,” OPS said.

Earlier, the conference passed a series of resolutions, including the coordinator post for OPS continuing till 2026, as it was decided in the General Body meeting held on December 6, 2021 and so all decisions related to the party binds with OPS. The conference also decided to find out the real party cadre and provide new party election cards and conduct an election for the party leaders.