Palaniswami accuses Stalin of using Panneerselvam to split AIADMK

The AIADMK leader accused TN CM Stalin and former AIADMK coordinator Mr. Panneerselvam of acting in concert; he said their attempts would not work

The AIADMK’s interim general secretary  Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Wednesday, accused Chief Minsiter M.K. Stalin of using former AIADMK coordinator, O. Panneerselvam, to split the AIADMK.

“This will never work. The AIADMK is a vibrant organisation. It was launched by Puratchi Thalaivar [M.G. Ramachandran] and preserved by Amma [Jayalalithaa],” Mr Palaniswami told the media at the Rajarathnam Stadium after having been detained by the police for attempting to observe a fast at Valluvar Kottam in Chennai.

Blaming Mr. Stalin and Mr. Panneerselvam for acting in concert, the AIADMK leader claimed that after the Assembly’s proceedings came to an end on Tuesday, the two met at the Assembly for 30 minutes. He described the former coordinator as the “B team” of the Chief Minister.

When Mr. Palaniswami interacted with the media, he got into an argument with a section of police personnel  who were apparently trying to restrain him. Later, he resumed his interaction

Later in the day, the AIADMK leader, in a statement, said Assembly Speaker, M. Appavu, by not accepting the demand of 62 members of the AIADMK legislature party that R. B. Udhayakumar be declared Deputy Leader of Opposition in the place of Mr. Panneerselvam, had acted in a “partisan manner.” During question hour in the session, his party had planned to raise several issues of importance to the public such as the power tariff hike and law and order. But, it had to view the  developments in the Assembly on Tuesday as a “conspiracy” to prevent the party from raising the issues, he added.