All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam cadre owing allegiance to State Municipal Administration Minister S.P. Velumani burnt “deputy general secretary” T.T.V. Dhinakaran in effigy on Monday.
The partymen’s outburst followed Mr. Dhinakaran ‘removing’ Mr. Velumani as the party’s rural district secretary.
Sources said that partymen burnt effigies in a few parts of Coimbatore city, Kinathukadavu, Thondamuthur, Pollachi, Valparai, Kottur and Alandurai.
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Second rung party leaders said that they stood firmly behind Mr. Velumani and were tired of the factionalism in the party as there was a visible erosion of goodwill among voters.
The coming together of Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and O. Panneerselvam gave them hope that all would be well and that the ‘two leaves’ symbol would be retrieved.
But the rebellion by 21 MLAs who had sided with Mr. Dhinakaran was the least they had expected.
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The leaders also said that the MLAs/Ministers seemed to be least concerned about public perception.
Though Mr.Velumani’s “removal” might not have a direct and immediate bearing on the party in Coimbatore, it would definitely have long-term consequences; the perception that the AIADMK was a united, cohesive force was fast changing among the party’s support base.