OPS for new party, EPS for another conference

Chennai: Former Chief Minister and ‘coordinator’ of the rival AIADMK faction O. Paneerselvam is likely to launch a new political party on Sunday at the meeting called in Kanchipuram ostensibly to commemorate Dravdian stalwart C N Annadurai’s birth anniversary, which actually falls on September 15.

Apart from a gaggle of supporters still rallying around him, Panneerselvam has also appointed office-bearers at all levels for his faction, who would automatically take charge of the new party that might be christened Amma Anna Dravida Makkal Kazhagam. The announcement would be made on Sunday at the meeting.

Having lost all his legal options, but for a single case pending in a civil court, to wrest control of the AIADMK that has been virtually handed over to his bete noire and leader of the opposition in the State Assembly Edappadi K Palaniswami, the ‘rival faction’ has felt the need to do something substantially to project itself as a political force.

While Panneerselvam had been making a claim as the real inheritor of the AIADMK and trying to prove that he still had the support of the cadre by holding a conference in Trichy, his rival Palaniswami managed to mobilise a much bigger crowd for his recent State conference in Madurai.

So, with the support of those owing allegiance to him that include veteran leaders like Panruti  K Ramachandran, Panneerselvam would like to run a party parallel to the AIADMK of Palaniswami. So if Palaniswami expresses support to the idea of ‘one nation, one election’ propounded by the BJP on Friday, Panneerselvam will come out in favor of it on Saturday.

Meanwhile, emboldened by the overwhelming success of his Madurai conference, Palaniswami has plans to apparently organize yet another party conclave and has called for a consultative meeting on Monday, September 4, at the party headquarters.

Though the statement issued on Friday by the party did not mention the agenda for the meeting, to be presided over by Palaniwami, at 9.30 am on Monday, the giveaway was the invitation to the members of the various committees that were formed to organize the August 20 conference in Madurai.

Apart from the usual invitees for such consultative meetings like the headquarters secretaries, district secretaries, MPs and MLAs, the specific mention of the committee members who should be credited with the successful conduct of the Madurai meet gave the indication that there could be another such conference before the 2024 Lok sabha elections.

Also the tone and tenor of Palaniswami’s caustic attack on the DMK government, through another statement, indicated that he had decided to take on the DMK by the jugular. Though he had been accusing the DMK government of failing to maintain law and order and to prevent movement of narcotic drugs since the beginning, Friday’s allegations sounded more acrimonious.

Demanding sterner action against the increasing crimes in the State, he accused DMK functionaries of intimidating the police, whom he said were tough against criminals during the AIADMK rule, adding that attacks on common people and government officials in public spaces had gone up after the DMK took charge.