AIADMK power tussle: Rise of EPS and fall of OPS

Now that he is on top of things in AIADMK, EPS to launch a fierce battle against DMK

ITDC INDIA EPRESS/ITDC NEWS R On Monday, Chennai—and Tamil Nadu—woke up to a new political climate. Around 8 am, former chief minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) and team left for the marriage hall at Vaanagaram, the venue of AIADMK general council meeting, from his residence. He was greeted with slogans of enthusiastic supporters and flower petals. A few meters away from his residence, yet another former chief minister, O. Panneerselvam (OPS), also began his journey, but without the slogans and showering of flower petals, to AIADMK headquarters at Lloyds Road in Chennai. As OPS and his men reached the party office, doors were broken, stones pelted, and a violent clash erupted between supporters of the two former chief ministers.

Away from the party office, at the general council venue, EPS was in all smiles. The party passed 16 resolutions, and one special resolution to remove OPS and his supporters from the AIADMK.

Sitting in the party headquarters, OPS announced, “I am the party coordinator. I am expelling EPS and K.P. Munusamy from the party.” However, OPS had to leave the party office as revenue officials walked in to seal the premises to take control of the law and order situation. The party office was sealed.

Rise of EPS

It all began in May 2021, soon after AIADMK lost the elections. It took several days for EPS to be elected by his own MLAs as the opposition leader. Two meetings and several rounds of talks with OPS through his messengers like Munusamy and former ministers D. Jayakumar, S.P. Velumani and P. Thangamani helped him take over as the opposition leader. OPS had to give up as he did not have the majority support. When the party had to nominate two members to the Rajya Sabha, confusion prevailed as OPS wanted one of the nominees to be his supporter. The names were announced only at the last minute.

Since then, EPS meticulously worked his way upwards, to win the confidence of the party office bearers, and increase support for him inside the party. He gave easy access to those who wanted to reach him with any grievance. He understood politics and divisions within the party, and took advantage of these. EPS also ensured that the party cadres credited him for winning 66 MLAs to position to party as a credible opposition. He created an impression among the partymen that he is a person who can deliver things. “He is our single leader who can deliver,” said Jayakumar, former minister and AIADMK spokesperson.

Fall of OPS

OPS—the man former chief minister Jayalaithaa would turn to whenever there was trouble to her government—first lost when he sat on a 'Dharma Yudham' against V.K. Sasikala in 2017. Again, he lost the trust of his followers when he merged his faction with that of EPS in August 2017. By then, most of his supporters, including the 11 MLAs who were with him during the 'Dharma Yudham' had extended support to EPS. Unlike EPS, OPS wasn’t easily accessible to his supporters; he also failed to create confidence even among his close supporters whenever they were in trouble. However, OPS is still considered as a leader among the Thevar community, which contributes to over 10 per cent votes in South Tamil Nadu. He still commands votes among his community in and around Madurai and Theni.

However, at a time when the AIADMK turns 50, the fight for power has only brought down the image of the party, which had ruled the state for over 30 years. “They are fighting now. But everything was because of MGR. He founded the party and decided that democracy should thrive in the party for ever. This is lost. The two leaves (party symbol) was because of MGR. The properties of the party are solely MGR’s. But these people have forgotten MGR. They have even forgotten Jayalalithaa,” says political analyst and journalist Tharasu Shyam.

“Did you think I am the Palaniswami of those days. I don’t think so,” EPS said, in his first ever speech after taking over as the interim general secretary. While he has successfully ousted OPS and team, Palaniswami has sent out a strong message that he is the sole leader of the AIADMK and would take on the ruling DMK and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.

The AIADMK leaders who have been fighting among themselves for the past 14 months, for the first time, has chosen to play the role of a concrete opposition party.

“Stalin once said the DMK will take action against all the corrupt ministers who were part of the AIADMK government under Palaniswami. Not even an FIR has been filed. He said the culprit in the Kodanad heist will be brought to books. Did he?” asked senior journalist and AIADMK sympathiser S.P. Lakshmanan.