R. ARIVANANTHAM
CHENNAI, SEPT 28
Amidst the tug-of-war over Chief Ministerial candidate in the 2021 assembly election looming large between the two factions – EPS and OPS – the Executive Committee meeting of the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam held on Monday morning with much fanfare.
To show the sign of solidarity in the party, it was declared that the EPS-OPS duo will jointly declare the CM candidate, a senior official of the party said.
A large number of cadres thronged the party headquarters before the duo – the joint coordinator and Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswamy and Coordinator O Panneerselvam and Deputy Coordinator and Rajya Sabha MP K.P. Munusamy arrived at the venue.
The meeting was presided over by the party’s Presidium President E Madhusudananan. The meeting was held after the hectic parleys and patch up between two factions hardly 10 days ago. Ministers, senior leaders were among 300 party leaders took part in the meeting.
The Executive Committee meeting has adopted as many as 15 resolutions – prominent among them are appealing party cadres to work in tandem for the success of the party to retain the golden rule of former CMs MGR and Puratchi Thalaivi Amma (former CM Jayalalithaa).
Addressing the media after the meet, AIADMK deputy coordinator KP Munusamy said party coordinator Pannerselvam and joint coordinator Palanisami would together announce the CM candidate on October 7. He was silent on the 11-member steering committee, which has been the primary demand of the OPS faction ever since its merger with the party in 2017.
VK Sasikala, aide of Former CM Jayalalithaa’s release from Parappana Agrahara prison in Bengaluru, and speculations were rife among the political circles that the ruling BJP at the Centre had reportedly brokered the merger of factions EPS and OPS and bring Sasikala at the helm of the party to fulfill its dream of blooming in Tamil Nadu through AMMK founder TTV Dinakaran last week.
Amid speculations, the text of the resolution was worded in such a way that it has an allusion to former interim general secretary V.K. Sasikala. One such resolution said, “Some individuals, for their selfish gains and progress of people belonging to them, may have used the party as an instrument, by remaining in and out of the organisation. But, the party, which has been like a millennial crop and a banyan tree that has provided support to all, has been in the safe hands of selfless workers.”
Reiterates two-language formula
The party, through another resolution, reiterated its stand on the two-language formula and stated that it was against the imposition of any language, while being not against any language. On the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to courses in medicine, it called upon the Central government to abolish the NEET system and condemned the DMK and its allies for their “duplicity” over the issue.
Several other resolutions commended the State government generally, the Chief Minister in particular, on a number of matters such as the way the COVID-19 crisis has been handled. In the first resolution, which pertains to COVID-19 management, the Deputy Chief Minister too, along with Palaniswami, has been lauded by the party.
Urging the Centre to re-constitute a committee on the culture of the country by including representations of scholars from south India, especially those from Tamil Nadu, the party renewed its demand for the retrieval of the Katchatheevu islet and safeguarding the interests of Sri Lankan Tamils and proposed construction of Mekedatu dam were the other resolutions.
