We did not want Panneerselvam to leave, he left of his own accord: EPS

AIADMK general secretary criticizes former CM Panneerselvam, emphasizes party loyalty and goal to defeat DMK in 2026.

Without naming former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam directly, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami said though the party did not want him to leave, he left of his own accord after he was not given any position of power.

He made the comments while speaking at the event held at Periyakulam in Theni district to celebrate the 77th birth anniversary of late leader Jayalalithaa. After having voted against the AIADMK in the Assembly, he can no longer claim to be a loyalist of the party, he said. The cadre will not forget the manner in which Mr. Panneerselvam let loose anti-social elements at the party headquarters in Chennai in a bid to capture it, Mr. Palaniswami added.

Despite everything, Mr. Palaniswami said he had given him (Mr. Panneerselvam) the respect he was due.

He said that he had been elected as MLA from Edappadi (in Salem district) in 1989 and 1991 and as MP from Tiruchengode in 1998, while Mr. Panneerselvam came to the Assembly much later than him. Also, when Mr. Panneerselvam was the Chief Minister, “we all worked with him in the larger interest of the party and did not blame the high command,” he recalled.

The AIADMK was the only party where anybody loyal to the outfit can rise up the ladder. Citing him as an example, he said, it was not like the DMK, where only one family had the right to be on top. Stating that the AIADMK’s only enemy was the DMK, Mr. Palaniswami stressed that the party would not rest until the DMK was thrown out of power in the election scheduled to be held in 2026 for the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.