OPS wants to continue the system of dual leadership, which he currently shares with EPS.
The Madras High Court will continue hearing arguments today over the petition filed by AIADMK Coordinator O Panneerselvam (OPS) to stall the party's General Council Meet on Monday to formally crown his rival Edappadi Palaniswamy (EPS) as Interim General Secretary. After hearing arguments by the counsel for OPS, EPS and another petitioner, the court has asked EPS' advocate to file his counter today.
Though, on Wednesday, the Supreme Court had permitted Team EPS to go ahead with the meet following the law, Team OPS argued the conduct of the meeting is technically illegal and hence invalid. His lawyer claimed that according to the bylaw, only the Coordinator and Joint Coordinator can convene the meeting but in this case the invitation letter on an "non-existent headquarters office bearers letterhead" was unsigned. Also, in the event of the positions of Coordinator and Joint Coordinator going vacant for some reason, the office bearers appointed by them including the Treasurer (OPS in this case), Headquarters Secretary (EPS in this case) and the Executive Committee ought to continue to operate but, the invite doesn't mention any of these names.
Arguing strongly against stalling the meet despite the nod given by the top court, EPS' counsel claimed it is the same system that was followed by the party to appoint VK Sasikala as Interim General Secretary of the party after former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's death; also to appoint the duo as part of a dual leadership model later. Regarding the agenda for the meet, he made it clear that the present dual leadership would be abolished and an interim general secretary would be appointed, who would be in charge till internal elections are held. The bylaw would also be amended for this.
The June 23rd meet 'rejected' all 23 draft resolutions the party boss OPS had approved. One of them was to ratify the election of the two leaders last December and the rejection meant Team EPS claims the dual leadership is no longer there.
EPS, who is supremely confident of near total support in the 2,000-plus general council, wants to elevate himself as a singular leader, OPS wants the existing dual leadership to continue.
OPS was late Jayalalithaa's choice twice to be her stand-in Chief Minister when she had to step down following convictions. He had taken over for the third time just before Jayalalithaa died. However, her friend Sasikala who took over the party after Jayallithaa's death unseated him and handpicked EPS for the Chief Minister's chair before she went to jail following her conviction in the disproportionate assets case in which Jayalalithaa was the prime accused. In a dramatic twist, both leaders patched up, expelled Sasikala and worked out a dual leadership.
Team EPS says the model made decision making difficult. The party had suffered three successive poll defeats under their leadership.