NEW DELHI, FEB 23
The Supreme Court, on Thursday, upheld the Madras High Court’s decision that established Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) as the interim general secretary of the AIADMK. With this, OPS is a wilted leaf now.
The apex court further said this order will have no bearing on the case pending in the high court regarding the dispute between OPS and EPS.
- This order will have no bearing on the case pending in the high court regarding the dispute between OPS and EPS: Apex court
- EPS has turned into the sole inheritor of Jayalalithaa’s legacy in the AIADMK and OPS seems to have been left in the lurch
- In the 2019 elections and 2021 general elections, he let EPS take up all responsibilities
Justices Dinesh Maheshwari and Hrishikesh Roy dismissed the petitions filed by O Panneerselvam. The Supreme Court upheld the Madras High Court order of September 2, 2022, on amendments made to party bylaws during the general council meeting held on July 11, 2022 that elected EPS as its sole leader. The general council expelled EPS’s rival Panneerselvam (OPS).
The plea challenging the high court’s verdict was submitted by party leader and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Paneerselvam (OPS). The Supreme Court , however, said it did not consider the submissions on the resolution passed at the July 11, 2022 general meeting of the AIADMK where the party’s executive council appointed EPS as interim General Secretary and expelled OPS for “anti-party activities”.
அம்மா அவர்கள் கண்ட நூறாண்டு சரித்திரக் கனவை நனவாக்கவும் உயிர் மூச்சுள்ளவரை உங்களில் ஒருவனாக பணியாற்றுவேன். 2/2
— Edappadi K Palaniswami – Say No To Drugs & DMK (@EPSTamilNadu) February 23, 2023
“Truth has prevailed. The mask of those who acted as the B team of the DMK has been torn off today. Our party cadres faced so many struggles and hardships in the past six months. The opposition has been making a lot of noise that the AIADMK has split into four groups, and that there is no future for our party. The Supreme Court judgment today has put an end to it,” EPS said while talking to reporters after attending a wedding ceremony at Thirumangalam near Madurai.
While the EPS camp celebrated the SC judgment, the OPS camp has gone into deep silence. Sources said OPS, who is in his home town Theni, has had discussions with his close confidants and supporters and will take the fight to court and the election commission. However, with Supreme Court upholding the Madras High Court judgment, EPS has turned into the sole inheritor of Jayalalithaa’s legacy in the AIADMK and OPS seems to have been left in the lurch.
OPS, who was once handpicked by Jayalalithaa herself to be the stop-gap chief minister in her absence, has lost it to his arch-rival EPS. OPS who was all-powerful in 2017, before Sasikala went to prison in the disproportionate assets case, failed to assert himself in the past five years. Instead of opposing EPS and his government, which was anointed by Sasikala, OPS went and joined hands with EPS in August 2017. He was forced to play second fiddle in the party and the then AIADMK government. He also failed to assert himself as an all-powerful finance minister in the EPS cabinet.
OPS appeared to be ceding his political space to EPS at every possible instance. In the 2019 elections and 2021 general elections, he let EPS take up all responsibilities. This helped EPS to assert himself within the party and among the party seniors.
Even when EPS decided to expel OPS and take charge as the undisputed leader of the AIADMK, the latter did not put up a political fight. Instead, he chose a legal battle that caused a major dent in his political career.
