New Delhi: The AIADMK has brought about changes to its bylaws to strengthen the hold of coordinator and deputy chief minister O. Panneerselvam and joint coordinator and chief minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami over the party, according to a report in the Times of India.
The changes were announced at the party’s general council and executive committee meeting which was held on Sunday afternoon.
A new prerequisite stipulating that only those who had been members of the party continuously for the last five years would be allowed to contest elections for party posts – including those of coordinator and joint coordinator – were introduced at the meeting, which was held in Chennai.
The move was widely perceived as a preemptive way to prevent V.K. Sasikala or any of her supporters from staking a claim to any major position in the party after her release from prison, which will be in about a year. Reports emerged that Shashikala, a close aide of former TN chief minister Jayalalithaa, would try to rejoin the party.
A senior AIADNK member told TOI that during the last membership drive by the party, all members had renewed their membership. “Sasikala and others in her family could not have renewed their membership. Hence, they automatically cease to be members of the AIADMK,” the party leader said.
Sasikala, who is now serving a prison sentence at the Parappana Agrahara jail in Bengaluru, was convicted by the Supreme Court in February 2017 on charges of corruption.
While in the party’s last general council meeting in September 2017, AIADMK’s Jayalalithaa was posthumously declared the “permanent general secretary”, Sasikala was removed from the post of general secretary through a resolution. She and her nephew Dhinakaran were also expelled from the party.
V.K. Sasikala. Credit: PTI
The party also introduced changes to increase the number of party districts from 50 to 56 to facilitate better administration.
Palaniswami and Panneerselvam were hailed as “guardians” for their work within the party. Without naming actor Rajinikanth, the party rejected his claim that there was a leadership vacuum in the state. According to news agency PTI, the general council credited Panneerselvam and Palaniswami for reviving the party after the death of Jayalalithaa. The two leaders, with smile writ large on their faces held swords of victory presented to them on the occasion.
The endorsement of the duo’s leadership at the general council and executive committee meet assumes significance as this is the first meeting of the top decision making bodies months after some had voiced support for a single leadership.
In June after the party suffered major losses in the Lok Sabha elections, MLA V.V. Rajan Chellappa had pitched for a single “charismatic” leadership to steer the party, saying the present arrangement of dual power centres impeded quick decisions.
Soon, the AIADMK asserted that the status quo would prevail and Palaniswami and Panneerselvam would jointly continue to steer the outfit.
The seal of approval comes against the backdrop of the party’s victory in recent bypolls to Vikravandi and Nanguneri assembly segments, which has helped further enhance the stature of the two leaders.
Palaniswami, addressing the meet, said he came to occupy the top slot both in the party and government only after decades of work in the party organisation right from the lowest levels. This remark is considered as a retort to Rajinikanth’s statement that Palaniswami “would not even have dreamt” of assuming the CM’s post and described his elevation as “wonder and marvel.”
As part of decorations to welcome party workers and leaders to the meet, a set of a temple tower was built and featured images of Jayalalithaa as the presiding deity. A slogan, “kazhagame koil, Ammave deivam, (party is temple and Amma is God)” was embossed above the “sanctum sanctorum”.