Stormy session: AIADMK throws weight behind EPS

Chennai: Amid chaos, the AIADMK General Council meeting here on Thursday rejected all the 23 proposed resolutions and announced that the one and only demand of the GC members is to bring in a system of a single leadership for the party, favouring Joint Coordinator Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS).

When Coordinator O Panneerselvam, popularly known as OPS was about to leave the dais, a water bottle landed pretty close to him when he stood near the podium and almost fell over his Personal Security Officer who extended his arms around the former Chief Minister to protect him.

A second water bottle came close to the party Coordinator when he was walking down the stairs from the dais towards the exit gate.

A palpable sense of anxiety prevailed as supporters of Paneerselvam and Palaniswami engaged in rival slogan shouting and some of them loudly argued against one another and voiced their full-throated backing to their respective leaders.

As OPS and EPS entered the premises of the hall -the venue of the meeting- their supporters raised slogans welcoming them. Elsewhere, addressing a function, DMK President and Chief Minister M K Stalin made a veiled reference to the infighting in the AIADMK and said those who wanted to decimate his party have now been wiped out.

At the AIADMK meeting, when the GC members cheered and overwhelmingly favoured EPS and stuck to the single leadership chorus, OPS stood up from his seat on the dais on a cue from loyalist R Vaithilingam and started moving towards the podium.

Taking the mic, Vaithilingam, party Deputy Secretary announced that the GC meet went against the law and was not valid and when he had moved just a few steps ahead, another Panneerselvam loyalist P H Manoj Pandian raised slogans favouring his leader. All along OPS was standing close to the podium and during this time, a water bottle landed behind his back from the audience. —PTI