AIADMK co-coordinator and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Friday said there were no differences of opinion between him and coordinator O. Panneerselvam.
He was answering a journalist’s question why Mr. Panneerselvam was not present at his meeting with the party secretaries of Chennai and surrounding districts here earlier in the day.
Mr. Palaniswami explained that the coordinator was pre-occupied with the shifting of his residence here. Besides, “Today, being an auspicious day, I chose to visit the party headquarters. The meeting was not pre-planned. The office-bearers joined me as they came to know that I would be visiting the headquarters.”
To another question whether there was any cold war between him and Mr. Panneerselvam in the light of their issuing statements separately, the former Chief Minister replied that on matters concerning the government, he had been expressing his views and on matters of general importance, Mr. Panneerselvam had been articulating his opinions.
As for the audio clips (including the one available on social media since Friday morning) containing the phone conversations between former interim general secretary V.K. Sasikala and her supporters, the co-coordinator reiterated his stance that she was not in the organisation.
He also recalled Ms. Sasikala’s statement in March, ahead of the Assembly election, that she had decided to step aside from politics. She was “in touch” with members of the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, led by her nephew T.T.V. Dhinakaran. “The unanimous view among members and functionaries at all levels is that members of that family [Ms. Sasikala’s] should not be in the party. This position continues...,” Mr. Palaniswami said.
He denied that AIADMK members were talking to Ms. Sasikala.
In another audio clip doing rounds in the evening, Ms. Sasikala was heard telling her follower that she made arrangements (for the assumption of office by a fresh Council of Ministers headed by Mr. Palaniswami in February 2017) before she went to Bengaluru (to serve her jail term) as she wanted to fulfil the wish of Jayalalithaa that the AIADMK government “remain in office for 100 years”.
Mr. Palaniswami urged the State government to increase the number of COVID-19 testing centres and ramp up testing. He appreciated the Centre for circulating among the States a draft detailed project report on the linking of the Godavari and the Cauvery.
Mr. Panneerselvam thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a letter, for the Centre’s decision to extend the validity of Teachers Eligibility Test certification to lifetime from seven years. He said the decision would create more jobs for those seeking a career in teaching.
