The infighting within the ruling AIADMK ratcheted up on Monday with the faction led by the Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam formally beginning the process of easing out the party’s top leaders.

At a meeting of AIADMK office-bearers including MLAs, the party declared invalid all decisions taken by its former deputy general secretary TTV Dhinakaran, who was removed from the post on August 10.

The resolution was among the four, including a call for a General Council meeting on September 12, passed at the meeting. The conference stopped short of referring to the expulsion of VK Sasikala — now in prison serving a four-year term on corruption charges — and Dhinakaran from the party. With the Election Commission not recognising Sasikala’s appointment as the party’s interim general secretary so far, she had no locus standi to name Dhinakaran as her deputy, the resolution said.

While all decisions made by Dhinakaran were null and void, the appointments by former party general secretary, the late J Jayalalithaa, would stay.

Senior party leader D Jayakumar told the media that a majority of office-bearers, MLAs and MPs attended the meeting.

Another resolution said the party would initiate efforts to take over the management of both Jaya TV and Namadhu MGR publication — both being the AIADMK’s assets.

Monday’s meeting came a day after Dhinakaran removed Palaniswami as party’s Salem (suburban) district secretary, and sacked a few ministers from party posts.

Office-bearers of the Dhinakaran camp refused to accept the resolutions passed by at the party headquarters.

There is a stalemate within the ruling party as Dhinakaran’s faction refuses to recognise the authority of Palaniswami or Panneerselvam to call a General Council meeting, which only the General Secretary, or her deputy, can convene. Over the last few days, Dhinakaran has begun appointing party office-bearers, while sacking existing ones, resulting in the creation of a parallel structure.

Meanwhile, sources said both Palaniswami and Paneerselvam may meet Election Commission officials in Delhi on Tuesday to retrieve the party symbol, which was frozen ahead of the RK Nagar by-poll.

In the 234-member Assembly, the ruling AIADMK has 134 MLAs. Twenty-one party legislators loyal to Dhinakaran are camping at a Puducherry resort. They had expressed their lack of confidence in Palaniswami to Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao last week. The DMK and the Congress have approached the Governor, urging him to ask the CM to prove his majority in the Assembly following the withdrawal of support by the 21 MLAs.

Related Topics