In the ongoing discussion about the reunion of the AIADMK party, the intense exchange between former AIADMK leader and former TN chief minister O Paneerselvam (OPS), and current general secretary of the AIADMK party, Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS), continues to escalate. Both leaders have resorted to accusing each other of betrayal.

The verbal conflict between the two leaders unfolded against the backdrop of Senior Congress leader Peter Alphonse’s remark that the AIADMK is in decline. Reacting to this, OPS on 7 July 2024 in Sivaganga asserted in a press conference that such a statement was unacceptable, emphasizing that the AIADMK could not be undermined by any external force. Despite a minor rift within the party, he pledged swift unity.

Contrary to OPS’s optimism about the AIADMK’s imminent reunion, party general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami accused him of disloyalty to the AIADMK. EPS claimed that O Panneerselvam had initially gained ministerial and chief ministerial positions through recommendations from others rather than genuine loyalty to Jayalalitha and the party. He pointed out that following Jayalalitha’s death, OPS raised questions about the circumstances surrounding her demise, which compelled the party to establish an inquiry commission.

Regarding speculations about OPS’s potential return to the AIADMK, Palaniswami asserted that while some might entertain such thoughts, the party leadership was against it. He underscored that a resolution had already been passed in the General Assembly to remove OPS from the party ranks.

Regarding this matter, OPS recently released a detailed official statement on his official X handle, expressing his criticism that, “Edappadi Palaniswami, who is the epitome of ‘betrayal’, ‘falsehood’, ‘forgetfulness’ and ‘aggression’, in an interview has called me as a disloyal person, like concealing a pumpkin in a bowl of rice. Jayalalithaa herself has expressed on many occasions how loyal I was to AIADMK and herself. All the people of Tamil Nadu are well aware of Jayalalithaa’s speech in which she compared Bharatha from the Ramayana in return for my loyalty. I would like to say that the ‘ten failure’ Palaniswami is not qualified to talk about my loyalty, while Jayalalithaa has shown to this country.”

“Edappadi Palaniswami, who has committed many betrayals for his selfish interests, such as betrayal of the one who gave him the post of chief minister, betrayal of the one who recommended him, betrayal of the one who supported his four-year regime, betrayal of the one who saved the AIADMK regime, should not talk about my loyalty. Edappadi Palaniswami has said in an interview that when Jayalalithaa contested from the Bodinayakanur assembly seat, I acted as the ‘Chief Election Agent’ for the candidate who contested against her. Edappadi Palanichamy is doing the ‘Goebbels’ work of ‘repeatedly telling a lie makes it true’ while I have already denied this. This is completely untrue. I have already said that I am ready to leave politics if this is proved with evidence. Edappadi Palaniswami, who has not disclosed the evidence to date, has again made the same accusation against me. He has proved that he is a ‘Goebbels’ by his actions.”

“Next, in 2017, Edappadi Palaniswami gave me the post of ‘coordinator’ and the post of ‘deputy chief minister’, who had 3% support. During my ‘Dharma Yuddha’ in 2017, the press captured that I had almost 42% public support. At that moment, I did not go to Edappadi Palaniswami and ask him to ‘give me the post of coordinator’ or ‘give me the post of Deputy Chief Minister’. When I convened a huge meeting in Coimbatore for the 16th time on behalf of the ‘Dharma Yuddha’ to mark the centenary of MGR, the next day ADMK’s senior loyalists SP Velumani and Thangamani met me at my daughter’s house in Chennai and said AIADMK will be stronger only if we come together after being shocked to see the large crowd there, they shared with me their opinion and the desire of the party workers that only then they can win the elections. I acceded to their request for the sole reason that in the interest of the party, the party should be united.”

“I did not go and ask Palaniswami for any post. I will not ask again. Palaniswami sent the envoy to save the post of Chief Minister that he got by crawling, creeping and by falling at their feet. The people of Tamil Nadu know very well that Edappadi Palaniswami is obsessed with position and selfish. Edappadi Palaniswami sent a message only because he does not have a majority in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. The AIADMK won 136 seats in the 2016 Legislative Assembly general elections and retained power for the second consecutive term. AIADMK got a huge victory because of Jayalalitha’s whirlwind election campaign despite her health. This victory was a victory for Jayalalithaa. After Jayalalithaa’s death, Edappadi Palaniswami, who took over as Chief Minister at the behest of Sasikala, brought a motion of confidence in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, with 122 legislators supporting him. Out of these 122 legislators, 19 legislators met the Governor a few months later and gave a letter withdrawing their support to Edappadi Palaniswami.”

“Thus, the number of legislators supporting Edappadi Palaniswami has reduced to 103. Apart from this, some other legislators were working against Edappadi Palaniswami. If we add this, the number of legislators supporting Edappadi Palaniswami has gone below a hundred. At the same time, the number of DMK legislators was 98. That is, the number of members of the opposition party was more than that of the ruling party. Then, the DMK sent a letter to the governor asking for an order to prove the majority. If the Governor had ordered to prove the majority at that time, Edappadi Palaniswami’s post as Chief Minister would have gone that day. It was Edappadi Palaniswami who sent an envoy and begged me to free him from this problem.”

“Although I did not want to join Edappadi Palaniswami, I decided to rejoin, keeping in mind Jayalalithaa’s words in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly that “Even after me, no matter how many centuries come, AIADMK will work for the people.” The messengers told me that I am for the party and Edappadi Palaniswami is for the government. I also agreed. But Edappadi Palaniswami imposed a condition that he be given the post of co-coordinator with signing authority against what was agreed. I accepted it in the interest of AIADMK, founded by MGR and built by Jayalalithaa. This is an example of my loyalty to the party. As for the post of Deputy Chief Minister, I initially said no, However, I accepted the post because Prime Minister Modi personally invited me to Delhi and persuaded to accept the post.”

“Edappadi Palaniswami has given an interview that, during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, I only made Ravindhranath, who contested in the Theni parliamentary Lok Sabha elections to win, and I did not help the AIADMK candidate who contested in the Andippatti constituency to win. This is completely untrue. Edappadi Palaniswami could not digest the fact that after contesting in 39 Lok Sabha constituencies, only Ravindhranath won the Theni constituency. That is why he is making such accusations against me. It is an expression of political vendetta (Kaalpunarchi). On the contrary, it was Edappadi Palaniswami who worked hard to defeat Rabindranath. However, MGR And Jayalalithaa’s blessings, God’s grace, and because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election campaign in Theni Lok Sabha constituency, Ravindhranath won.”

“The reason why I said there was doubt about Jayalalithaa’s death was because people had doubted it. I reflected on people’s opinions. Similarly, Edappadi Palaniswami has said that I did not appear before the Justice Arumugasamy Commission of Inquiry. This is completely wrong. First, I was directed to appear before Justice Arumugasamy Commission of Inquiry on 20 December 2018. However, the examination of AIIMS doctors which was scheduled to be held on 19 December 2018 was shifted to 20 December 2018, so the commission itself stopped my hearing. Following this, the Arumugasamy Commission of Inquiry ordered me to appear on 08 January 2019. But I had requested through my lawyer that the hearing be postponed as the legislative session was going on. Then Arumugasamy Commission of Inquiry directed him to appear on 23 January 2019. I was unable to attend the World Investors Conference that day. Later, the letter was sent to me to appear on 29 January 2019. However, as the Apollo management filed a petition in the court, the hearing on 29 January 2019 was adjourned and he was ordered to appear on 19 January 2019. Adjourned to 28 January 2019 as the court case was pending on 19 February 2019. Later, the case was taken to the Supreme Court and an interim stay was granted on 26 April 2019. Later, in 2022, I appeared before Justice Arumugasamy Commission of Inquiry twice and gave my explanation. This is the reality. Therefore, it is political vendetta to say that I did not appear before the commission in general.”

“Why does Edappadi Palaniswami comment on the Arumugasamy Commission of Inquiry into Jayalalithaa’s death refuse to open his mouth about the Kodanadu murder-robbery case? I led a demonstration under my leadership, insisting that the Koda Nadu murder-robbery case should be completed as soon as possible. Why is Edappadi Palaniswami reluctant to hold a protest on the Kodanad murder-robbery case? This has created a lot of doubt among people.”

“In the AIADMK general committee meeting held on 23-06-2022, I was on the stage as a coordinator and the legislators supporting me including Vaithilingam, Manoj Pandian, former legislator JCD Prabhakar, I and my supporters were attacked by throwing water bottles. It was Edappadi Palaniswami who was the root cause of creating such a situation that I could not even read the budget statement by making the anti-socials and thugs who were not members of the general committee sit. It is completely untrue to say that I used rioters to commit violence in the headquarters.” 

He further stated that on 11 July 2022, during the general committee meeting in Vanagaram, Edappadi Palaniswami orchestrated violence by sending eight district club secretaries and 300 individuals associated with anti-social activities to the main club headquarters, instructing them to lock its doors. They also threw stones at our vehicles as we approached the headquarters street, preventing our entry. Eventually, we accessed the headquarters after the anti-social groups dispersed upon police intervention. This is the factual account of events.

During the period of dual leadership, AIADMK contested 22 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and won just one seat, with a standalone vote share of 19.39%. The alliance garnered 31.05% of the vote. Under single leadership in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, AIADMK contested 34 seats but failed to win any, securing a mere 20.46% vote share. Including the 2.59% from the alliance party National Progressive Dravidian Kazhagam, the total vote share was 23.05%. AIADMK suffered an 8% decrease in votes, with deposits forfeited in seven constituencies.

This election marked AIADMK’s first instance of losing deposits in seven constituencies, a record attributed to Edappadi Palaniswami. The party dropped to third place in 12 constituencies and fourth in one, receiving only 5,267 votes in the Vilavankode Assembly by-election. Compared to 2019, AIADMK lost over 3 million votes, reflecting a significant decline. Edappadi Palaniswami has been reluctant to acknowledge these facts. In the southern districts, AIADMK’s vote count fell from over 3 million in nine Lok Sabha constituencies during 2019 to 1.5 million in 2024, marking a 50% reduction. These votes were crucially cast under the ‘double leaf’ symbol of MGR.

The current state of AIADMK is largely attributed to Edappadi Palaniswami, whose leadership I believe is leading the party towards ruin. My detailed statement aims to counter Palaniswami’s recent misleading remarks at Madurai Airport. My aspiration is for AIADMK to reunite and restore Jayalalithaa’s governance by 2026, necessitating a change in leadership. Palaniswami’s continuous failures have been rejected by volunteers, jeopardizing AIADMK’s future. Unity within the organization, without endorsing Palaniswami’s leadership, is essential for its revival after over 50 years of operation. Contrary to Palaniswami’s claims, I have never sought re-entry into AIADMK. It is a movement of volunteers, and my stance remains focused on uniting the party. I am prepared to make any sacrifice for this cause, questioning whether Palaniswami shares this commitment.

Palaniswami’s refusal to acknowledge these realities, despite no demand from me to rejoin, typifies his self-serving authoritarianism. His alteration of party rules, preventing ordinary volunteers from reaching top positions while declaring Jayalalithaa as ‘permanent general secretary,’ underscores his selfish motives.

The activists and public consensus is clear: Palaniswami should step down as AIADMK General Secretary after ten consecutive failures to uphold the organization’s volunteer-driven ethos. Should he refuse, volunteers and the public are prepared to act collectively to effect necessary change.

அனைத்திந்திய அண்ணா திராவிட முன்னேற்றக் கழகத்தை அழிவுப் பாதையில் அழைத்துச் சென்று கொண்டிருக்கும் பொய்மையின் மொத்த உருவம் ‘துரோகி’ திரு. எடப்பாடி பழனிசாமிக்கு கடும் கண்டனம். pic.twitter.com/fP9apjoxvQ

— O Panneerselvam (@OfficeOfOPS) July 8, 2024

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