Chennai: The Supreme Court allowing his rival Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) to remain the chief of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) comes as a huge blow to ousted party coordinator O. Panneerselvam even as his supporters maintain that the legal battle is far from over.
Political analysts believe that Panneerselvam may not have no option but to join hands with expelled party leaders V.K. Sasikala and T.T.V. Dinakaran, or float his own party. After the court ruling, EPS declared that OPS’ “chapter is over”.
In a press meet Friday, OPS said his camp would be going to the people seeking justice. “MGR founded the AIADMK as a movement of the cadre, and we are struggling to preserve the ideals of MGR and Jayalalithaa,” he said.
Team OPS said they are hopeful the Madras High Court will give them a favourable order over the issue of resolutions. The AIADMK bylaws require both leaders to sign it to make it valid, they said.
In December 2021, Panneerselvam and Palaniswami were elected unopposed as the AIADMK coordinator and joint-coordinator respectively. But in July 11, 2022 the AIADMK general council (GC) elected EPS as its leader and expelled OPS and his aides.
“The main civil suit is still pending in the Madras High Court. Only the GC meeting was approved (by the top court). It has not given its judgment on whether the resolutions passed are valid. If the two posts — coordinator and joint-coordinator (held by OPS and EPS respectively) — have lapsed or not, these details need answers,” OPS faction lawyer C.Thirumaran told ThePrint.
“If the court which upheld the validity of the GC meeting had also approved the resolutions, then OPS would not have had any legal fight. But now the scenario is different.”
Refuting the rival faction’s claims, AIADMK EPS faction legal wing secretary and former MLA R.M. Babu Murugavel told ThePrint that Thursday verdict was very clear. “The validity of the meeting in itself means that everything in the meeting will also become legally binding.”
“V.K. Sasikala’s case claiming to be the general secretary of the party is still pending. Similarly, claims of the OPS faction are only a survival tactic. But these cases will have no impact on the AIADMK,” he added.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court upheld an order of the Madras High Court after going through a batch of cases regarding changes to the party’s rules during the AIADMK general council meeting in July.
“In the interest of justice, we leave all the related aspects concerning the said resolutions open to be agitated, but strictly in accordance with law; and all the objections and rebuttals of the contesting parties are also kept open,” it said.
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Options limited for OPS
Political analysts that ThePrint spoke to feel the judgment can be seen as the end of the road for three-time CM OPS and that the once trusted lieutenant of former party chief J. Jayalalithaa has limited options going forward.
“OPS has become untenable in the AIADMK. His options are limited. There is no last word in politics but as of now, looking at things holistically, it looks like OPS’ chapter is over. That it is an endgame for OPS can’t be denied,” senior political analyst R. Mani said, adding that there might be a few more legal fights for OPS but those will not alter the current political situation.
“Joining hands with Sasikala and T.T.V. Dhinakaran and becoming a Thevar (a community native to the central and southern district of Tamil Nadu) caste leader is an option for OPS,” senior political observer G.C. Sekhar said.
Since Jayalalithaa’s death in 2016, the AIADMK has seen multiple power struggles and splits within the party, with the latest of which is the Supreme Court verdict.
After the verdict, Palanisamy said that the masks of those out to destroy the party had come off. “The Opposition has been making a lot of noise that the AIADMK has split into four groups, that there is no future for our party. The Supreme Court judgment has put an end to it,” he added.
Former health minister and party MLA C. Vijayabaskar told ThePrint, “The judgment is crystal clear. The SC has given full approval to the GC meeting. In the GC, OPS and his supporters were removed and so hereafter, they are not even primary party members.”
Calling the judgment historical, he said the verdict has given a morale boost and energy to party cadres. “There is no question of a split within the AIADMK any longer. The party is 200 per cent united under EPS and most of the GC members are with us. More MLA and district secretaries are with us (compared to the OPS faction) and we will be back in power soon.”
Critics say OPS did not consolidate his position within the party. “He might play the caste card. His options are very limited. He failed to use the CM’s post that was entrusted to him three times — twice during Jayalalithaa’s lifetime and once after her death. A person who sits in the CM’s chair even for a day will consolidate his position. He was the CM thrice over a period of 14 years. He occupied the chair for over 300 days. But he failed to consolidate his position. Meanwhile, EPS has beautifully consolidated his position. OPS can only be the second fiddle in any political dispensation,” said Mani.
He added that the AIADMK cadre base was with EPS even before the court verdict. “The judgment has given a formal shape to the political victory that EPS attained seven months back (in the GC meeting).”
AIADMK-BJP future
Recently, EPS announced that the AIADMK would continue its alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
“Modi likes those who emerge victorious. Now, the BJP will deal with EPS,” Mani said.
Sekhar agreed. “The BJP will always try to negotiate with the more powerful faction — which is the AIADMK under EPS. The BJP will do business with them. OPS supporters may slowly fizzle out.”
“OPS has not been a strong leader. EPS may not be a charismatic leader but he has had a better command over the party and apparatus. While EPS is logical, OPS is an emotional leader,” Sekhar added.
On Friday, Jayalalithaa’s 75th birth anniversary, EPS went to the AIADMK headquarters and hoisted the party flag while OPS went to the Amma memorial and paid floral tribute.
The legal battle between the rival factions began last year when a GC meeting was called for in June with a strong anti-OPS wave and speculation that the AIADMK may go back to single leadership from the dual leadership being followed since Jayalalithaa’s demise.
While the meeting was called for by the EPS faction, OPS managed to get a court order that no unannounced resolutions were permitted. The meeting saw the OPS faction becoming sidelined. The 23 June GC put forth a demand for another GC meeting on 11 July to decide on the single leadership issue and Tamilmagan Hussain, the then newly elected presidium chairman, approved the request of the majority GC members.
On 11 July, EPS was elected as the AIADMK interim general secretary by 2,460 of the 2,665 members. It was also decided that OPS and his followers be removed from the party’s primary membership. This set the ball rolling for legal battles between the two factions.
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
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