The deposed AIADMK coordinator, O. Panneerselvam, has written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla requesting him to “repudiate” representations made by the party regarding the status of Theni MP and his son, P. Ravindhranath, in the light of proceedings before the Supreme Court, Madras High Court and the Election Commission regarding inner party developments.
In a letter written on July 20, Mr. Panneerselvam asserted that the position of interim general secretary, held by Edappadi K. Palaniswami, who had issued a notice for the MP, was “non-existent and invalid.”
Referring to the general council meeting of the party held on July 11, he said he had “expelled”, from the primary membership of the party, those who acted against norms and regulations of the organisation. The “anti-party activities” of the members and “unlawful/illegitimate” meetings and events had been reported to the Election Commission, apart from having been challenged in the Supreme Court and the High Court, where the cases were pending, Mr. Panneerselvam added.
Mr. Ravindhranath was also said to have written a similar letter to Mr. Birla.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued on Friday, the sidelined former interim general secretary of the AIADMK, V.K. Sasikala, termed the expulsion of the MP “unfair”.
Referring to the reported communication to the Speaker, she said, “no one would view this as a sensible move.” The party suffered during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections because of “wrong decisions”, she added.
Without taking Mr. Palaniswami’s name, Ms. Sasikala said no genuine worker of the party would accept the “act of getting erased of the party’s recognition” in the Lower House.
A leader in the AIADMK said a letter was given to Mr. Birla earlier this week, intimating him that the Theni MP had been expelled from the party. The Speaker was requested not to consider Mr. Ravindhranath a member of the AIADMK any longer. This had been done, the leader said, as the party did not want to repeat what it had failed to do in 2016, after expelling Sasikala Pushpa, who was the party’s MP in the Rajya Sabha. As a result of the party’s act of omission, Ms. Pushpa was treated like a member of the AIADMK till the end of her term in 2020.
