Panneerselvam rebuts Palaniswami’s charge of collaboration with DMK

CHENNAI

The AIADMK’s deposed coordinator, O. Panneerselvam, who is running a group of his own, has denied the charge of the party’s interim general secretary, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, that he had been collaborating with the DMK.

“There is no need for me to do so,” he told journalists at his residence on Monday night, referring to Mr. Palaniswami’s remarks at Namakkal a few days ago. His record in public life made former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to choose him for the top post in 2001 and 2014, he said.

Claiming that the support provided by him and his supporters to Mr. Palaniswami’s government in 2017 ensured its survival for over four years, he said he extended the support in response to an “appeal” from S.P. Velumani and P. Thangamani, who were Local Administration and Power Ministers respectively; otherwise, the government would have fallen, had a no confidence motion been moved.

Accusing his erstwhile colleague of having “no consideration” for his timely support, Mr. Panneerselvam said that while in power, Mr. Palaniswami was “bent upon” committing “anti-democratic activities” and actions aimed at degrading him. “At an appropriate time, I will release a list of all that he did.” He reiterated that it was at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he agreed to become the Deputy Chief Minister under Mr. Palaniswami.

Acknowledging that he sided with the faction headed by former Chief Minister Janaki Ramachandran when the party suffered a split in the late 1980s, Mr. Panneerselvam recalled that the building, housing the party’s headquarters, was once owned by her. She later donated it to the party on the advice of her husband and the party’s founder M.G. Ramachandran.

Commenting on Mr. Palaniswami’s attitude, the former coordinator said it was after much persuasion in October 2021 that Mr. Palaniswami agreed to have the party headquarters named after the founder but refused to accept the proposal for naming one floor after Janaki Ramachandran and another after Jayalalithaa.