Trouble brews as Theni functionary quits ahead of Palaniswami’s tour

CHENNAI: Days before AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami’s visit to Periyakulam in Theni district for a public meeting, an old-timer and district-level functionary, Kurinji Mani, resigned from the party to register his protest against the party chief.

Kurinji Mani accused Palaniswami of being a stumbling block to the merger of factions and splinter groups, which he believed was crucial for reviving the party’s lost glory and returning to the winning streak on the electoral front.

Though the resignation of the secretary of the Unorganised Drivers Wing of AIADMK’s Theni west district has not created a significant impact, it does reflect the mindset of the party’s sympathisers and cadre across the State. Such actions of old and loyal party functionaries could further tarnish the party’s public image, deepening its decline in public perception, said party insiders.

In his resignation letter to Palaniswami, Mani expressed his frustration over the party’s continuous electoral defeats. He attributed these failures to infighting and factionalism that had led to the expulsion of former AIADMK leaders O Panneerselvam, VK Sasikala, and her nephew TTV Dhinakaran. He continued that the party stood little chance of returning to a winning streak unless its leaders set aside their differences and come united.

In his letter to the cadre on the 77th birth anniversary of J Jayalalithaa, EPS remarked that “wolves and sheep would not coexist” in the herd, effectively ruling out the possibility of OPS, Sasikala, and TTV returning to the AIADMK.