Jayakumar bets on consensus amid AIADMK leadership tussle

Chennai: AIADMK senior leader D Jayakumar on Thursday expressed hope that the question of single leadership would be resolved by the party based on consensus, while separate meetings of leaders continued amid poster wars pledging loyalty to top leaders, O Panneerselvam and K Palaniswami.
C Ve Shanmugam, Jayakumar and other senior functionaries who held discussions in the party headquarters here completed the meet just before the arrival of party coordinator Panneerselvam (OPS), who chaired another meeting, leading to speculations.

Jayakumar, the party’s organisation secretary, when asked on why leaders including him were leaving the office ahead of OPS’s arrival, he told reporters that they need not look at it through the prism of the leader’s visit.

The meeting of the 11-member party panel, in connection with the June 23 general and executive council is over, he said and added that a follow-up meeting would be held on June 18.
OPS, who had on Wednesday appealed to the party workers to be calm chaired a meeting in party headquarters in which leaders including party veteran C Ponnaiyan took part.

AIADMK co-coordinator K Palaniswami (EPS), who is away in his home town of Salem has held discussions with his supporters.
On June 14, a demand that the party be led by a single leader emerged again in the main opposition AIADMK and following that back-to-back meetings and closed door parleys continued for the third consecutive day on Thursday.

On Wednesday night, senior leader R Vaithilingam had asserted that there is no scope for a unitary leadership and that the party would be steered by (OPS and EPS) the dual leadership system.
Asked if discussions were held on the unitary leadership issue, Jayakumar said any decision would be based on consensus.

Seeking to emphasise that ‘there is no controversy’ over the matter within the party, he said ‘single leadership’ was an opinion expressed by party office-bearers.
Eventually, party’s Coordinator (OPS), Joint Coordinator (EPS), top level office-bearers and district secretaries would together take a decision, he said.

No specific leader was named by him or others for the proposed ‘unitary leadership’, he said. No discussion was ‘held today’ on the question of single leadership as there was no need for it.
“There is no controversy,” Jayakumar said amid supporters of Panneerselvam and Palaniswami continuing their ‘poster war’ to strengthen the hand of their respective leaders. -PTI