This is not the first time that the meeting of the AIADMK’s general council is becoming a subject of controversy.
In September 1976, when the party, at its general council meeting in Coimbatore, decided to change its name from the ‘Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’ to the ‘Anaithinthia Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’ (All India Anna DMK), there was opposition from a section of leaders which included Kovai Chezhian, former MLA, G. Viswanathan, the then Member of Parliament, and P. Srinivasan, former Deputy Speaker of the Assembly (1971-74).
Later, the dissidents were expelled from the party. They had even claimed that no resolution was moved and adopted at the general council meeting for converting the party into an all-India party. They contended that a party could be judged as an all-India party only by its activities and not by changing its name, according to a news item published by The Hindu on October 14, 1976.
