All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary VK Sasikala on Tuesday night sacked O Panneerselvam from the post of party treasurer hours after he said he was forced to resign as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu. The decision came after Sasikala chaired an emergency meeting at Poes Garden on Tuesday night.
In a statement released by the party, Sasikala said Dindigul C Srinivasan had been appointed AIADMK treasurer after Panneerselvam was relieved from his post. “Party cadres should extend their full cooperation to Srinivasan,” she said. Srinivasan is the Forest Minister in the AIADMK Cabinet.
Panneerselvam said nobody had the right to remove him from the post that was given to him by late Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa ten years ago, PTI reported. “I have the fulfilment that I have done my job as treasurer fully to the satisfaction of Amma [Jayalalithaa],” he said about his tenure as the party treasurer.
On Tuesday night, Panneerselvam visited Jayalalithaa’s memorial at Marina Beach in Chennai and meditated there, after which he addressed the media. He claimed he was continuously insulted by the party members and that he was not informed that Sasikala would be taking over as the next chief minister.
“I accepted the post [of CM] only after they told me that my refusal would bring disrepute to the party,” he said. Panneerselvam further claimed that Jayalalithaa had wanted Madhusudhan to be chief minister and that Revenue Minister R B Udhayakumar had insisted that Sasikala take over the post. The Jayalalithaa loyalist also said he is “fighting” alone against people in the party, and that he would withdraw his resignation if cadres thought it necessary.
Addressing the supporters outside her residence at Poes Garden on Tuesday night, Sasikala said the party was “united like a family”. She further said that she had not forced Panneerselvam to leave his post as the chief minister.
She also claimed that Panneerselvam was working with the DMK. “During a recent Assembly session, the Opposition leader and O Pannerselvam exchanged warmth, they were smiling at each other,” she said.
Responding to this, the acting chief minister said “only humans can laugh and smiling at people cannot be a crime”. He said he had been a staunch follower of AIADMK and will continue to remain so. “Wait and see what will happen tomorrow,” Panneerselvam said.
The announcement that Sasikala would be made chief minister has met with massive criticism, from the Opposition party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and several national leaders. Sasikala’s swearing-in, which was likely to be held on Wednesday, has been delayed as Governor Vidyasagar Rao has not been in Chennai to administer her oath. Rao is reportedly consulting lawyers regarding the legalities of her taking over the post, especially since she is involved in a disproportionate assets case, which will be heard in the Supreme Court next week.
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