The AIADMK’s resolution drafting committee, which met here on Saturday morning to finalise the agenda for the June 23 general council meeting, did not discuss any amendment to the party’s bylaws for creating any post above those of coordinator and co-coordinator.
This was revealed by a couple of members of the drafting committee who belonged to the camps led by coordinator O. Panneerselvam and co-coordinator Edappadi K. Palaniswami. While Mr. Panneerselvam attended the two-hour-long meeting at the party headquarters, Mr. Palaniswami did not.
Asked about Mr. Palaniswami’s absence, organisation secretary and steering committee member D. Jayakumar replied that neither Mr. Panneerselvam nor Mr. Palaniswami was part of the drafting committee, which had 12 members. So, there was no need for the co-coordinator to take part. “It was the individual decision of Mr. Panneerselvam to be present at the meeting,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Mr. Palaniswami, who reached Chennai on Friday evening, met his supporters at his residence. One of his aides said over 60 district secretaries (of a total of 75) and most of the headquarters functionaries called on him. “This need not be seen as a show of strength as they all met him as a matter of courtesy,” the aide said.
At the same time, a member of Mr. Panneerselvam’s camp said it had the support of 15 district secretaries, including deputy coordinator and Thanajvur (south) district secretary R. Vaithilingam; Tiruvallur (South) secretary V. Alexander; Tiruchi (Urban) secretary Vellamandi M. Natarajan; Theni secretary S.P. M. Syed Khan; Virudhunagar (East) secretary R.K. Ravichandran; Tirunelveli secretary N. Ganesaraja and Kanniyakumari (East) secretary S.A. Ashokan.
Others included South Chennai (South East) secretary M.K. Ashok; Tiruvallur (North) secretary P. Balaraman; Thanjavur (north) district secretary, M.G. M. Subramaniam, Perambalur district secretary R.T. Ramachandran and Ariyalur district secretary S. Rajendran.
Mr. Jayakumar, a former Minister, in his interaction with the press after the drafting committee’s meeting, justified his action of briefing the media about what had transpired at the district secretaries’ meeting on Tuesday. “I have not broken any ‘Chidambara Ragasiyam’ [the secret associated with the shrine at the Chidambaram temple in Cuddalore district]. I had conveyed what is obvious — the views of the party workers.”
