Soon after the Supreme Court verdict on Thursday allowed former Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) to proceed because the chief of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), the celebration’s headquarters at Chennai’s Royapettah erupted into jubilation together with his supporters bursting crackers, distributing sweets and pouring a pot of milk on his portrait.
Edappadi Palaniswam together with his supporters in Madurai on Thursday. (PTI)
EPS was in Madurai district to attend the marriage of his supporter and senior chief R B Udhayakumar’s daughter when the news of his victory on this lengthy and bitter battle broke.
The verdict has ended seven months of uncertainty within the AIADMK as former chief minister O Panneerselvam (OPS) went to the highest courtroom difficult a Madras excessive courtroom order that allowed the overall council assembly of July 11, 2022, which elected EPS because the celebration’s interim basic secretary and expelled OPS and his supporters.
“I’ve been counting days and haven’t slept at nights,” EPS mentioned on the dais on the wedding ceremony. “On my way here, I was so worried about the verdict. There was a smile on my lips but not in my heart,” he added.
Madurai has a temple for celebration founder M G Ramachandran (MGR) and his successor J Jayalalithaa with their life-size statues. It was constructed by Udhayakumar in a 12-acre land in January 2021.
“When I got into the car, Udhayakumar told me, ‘let’s go to the temple first, garland Amma and Thalaivar and then go to the wedding hall’. I prayed to both of them at the temple for us to receive a good verdict,” EPS mentioned.
“When I was leaving the temple, they gave me the news. This is their power. Both our leaders have supported us.”
Armed with the decision, EPS will quickly be made AIADMK basic secretary, the celebration’s prime most put up held beforehand by its icons MGR and Jayalalithaa.
Following Jayalalithaa’s demise in December 2016, EPS and OPS merged their warring factions taking on new posts as joint-coordinator and coordinator making Jayalalithaa their “eternal general secretary”. The twin posts stand abolished now. “Senior leaders will soon decide on my election,” EPS mentioned.
Later at a press convention, requested about his rival-turned-colleague-turned-rival OPS, EPS mentioned that the decision has closed the chapter.
“Some people will not be taken back,” EPS mentioned in an apparent reference to OPS and TTV Dhinakaran who was ousted alongside together with his aunt and Jayalalithaa’s former aide, V Okay Sasikala in 2017. EPS added that they might take again those that have labored for the celebration barring a couple of.
OPS has been crying foul over a variety of points from his expulsion to the abolition of the twin management and never sticking to the appointment of Jayalalithaa as their ‘permanent general secretary’.
He had described EPS as a dictator from whom he needs to reclaim the celebration.
OPS’ supporter Okay Vaithilingam put up a assured face. He mentioned that whereas the Supreme Court has allowed the proceedings of July 11, it won’t have a bearing on the matter pending in a civil courtroom in Chennai.
“And the SC has not said that the resolutions passed on July 11 are allowed. We will challenge the resolutions,” Vaithilingam mentioned. “That’s all. So, this is not a major impact for us. After reading the full verdict, we will explain our next course of actions.”
From being an unintentional chief minister, 68-year-old EPS has had a meteoric rise in Tamil Nadu’s politics. In Jayalalithaa’s 2016 Cabinet, he was solely fourth within the pecking order. EPS was barely identified till Sasikala handpicked him to be the chief minister when she was despatched to the Bengaluru jail in February 2017.
OPS had at all times appeared like an apparent alternative since Jayalalithaa had trusted him to be the performing chief minister twice when she was jailed. OPS had additionally held the vital finance portfolio.
EPS has not simply gained in opposition to OPS however crushed Sasikala, one of many AIADMK’s erstwhile energy centres. Even when the AIADMK misplaced within the 2021 meeting elections, EPS, the chief ministerial candidate, had led one of many celebration’s finest performances in a shedding election. For now, he stays the boss of the Dravidian main.
“Justice and truth have won today,” EPS mentioned. “This verdict has given 1.5 crore cadre of the AIADMK much joy. We will continue our party work with a new energy now…The Erode by-election is what is important now,” he added.
The by-poll slated for February 27 is a direct contest between AIADMK candidate Okay S Thennarasu and the Congress’ EVKS Elangovan, who’s contesting in alliance with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
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Source: www.hindustantimes.com
