After the Madras High Court ordered status quoante as on June 23, the leadership tussle in the main opposition AIADMK deepened further on Thursday, with Party Coordinator O.Panneerselvam(OPS) extended an olive branch for unity and the Co-Coordinator EdappadiK Palaniswami (EPS) rejecting it.
In a related development, Palaniswami filed an appeal in the Madras HighCourt against yesterday’s order favouring OPS and it will be taken up forhearing on August 22. On a day of fast paced developments, OPS, addressing a press conference and repeatedly addressing EPS as ‘Anbu Sagodharar (peace loving brother), extended an olive branch to him and called for unity in the party. Stressing the need for both the factions joining together and stay united bythrowing away the past “bitter” experiences, OPS said ‘Let bygones be bygones. Whatever will happen will also happen for the good”. Observing that the wish of the AIADMK cadres and the people of Tamil Nadu was that the AIADMK should stay united and function as an one unit, he said unity of the party should be the main aim. OPS also said the invitation for unity also implies to both expelled AIADMK leader VK Sasikala and her nephew and AMMK Founder TTV Dhinakaran. Recalling how he jointly functioned with Palaniswami as party’s coordinator, OPS said: “We both worked together and cooperated with each other besides following all the party rules and laws”. “The same state of affairs should come again,ā he said.