The group led by the AIADMK’s expelled coordinator, O. Panneerselvam, on Friday defended the meeting between its leader and AMMK general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran.
In a statement, R. Vaithilingam, Orathanadu MLA and joint coordinator of the Panneerselvam group, said the meeting was aimed at transforming the AIADMK from a “people’s movement” into a “movement of cadre”. Labelling AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami as a betrayer and accusing him of taking the party on the path of destruction, Mr. Vaithilingam said Mr. Palaniswami’s remarks on the meeting were “laughable” as the Tiruchi conference, held by the Panneerselvam group in late April, had marked a “turning point” in the party’s history.
As for the absence of senior functionaries — Villivakkam’s former legislator J.C.D. Prabhakar, Alangualm MLA P.H. Manoj Pandian and himself — at the meeting of Mr. Panneerselvam with Mr. Dhinakaran, he said that it was in keeping with the decision taken at a meeting, attended by Mr. Panneerselvam, the group’s political affairs adviser, Panruti S. Ramachandran, and former Minister Ku. Pa. Krishnan, apart from the three functionaries. It was Mr. Palaniswami who could not explain why some AIADMK office-bearers were not present at his meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah last month, Mr. Vaithilingam said.
Dhinakaran visits protesters
Mr. Dhinakaran visited those staging a demonstration near the office of the Director of School Education at Nungambakkam, demanding the revocation of a government order requiring those who had cleared the Teacher Eligibility Test to appear for one more test for appointment as government school teachers.
