OPS hand-in-glove with Stalin trying to destroy AIADMK, claims EPS

CHENNAI: AIADMK interim general secretary and leader of opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday charged that chief minister M K Stalin was trying to destroy their party with the support of ousted AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam and said, "It will never and ever happen."

Claiming that OPS was hand-in-glove with the DMK leader, who wanted to destroy the AIADMK party, EPS said Speaker M Appavu has been acting as per the whips and fancies of the CM. "Unable to face the AIADMK in the assembly, the CM used the Speaker to remove us from the assembly. It is a brutal murder of democracy," he said.

Clad in black shirt as a sign protest against the Speaker, EPS said they have submitted the Madras HC order in favour of the party's general council meeting on June 11. It means that the general council decision to expell OPS, R Vaithilingam and P H Manoj Pandian from party posts and as primary members was as per the norms. However, the Speaker did not take this into consideration and acted in favour of OPS.

Rejecting the Speaker's claim that there was no legal provisions to consider EPS camp petition to derecognise OPS as deputy LoP, EPS said there is legal provision exists. But the Speaker purposefully overlooked it. "We will continue our protest to restore our rights," said EPS, who was picked by police along with his supporters, including 61 MLAS, for trying to stage hunger protest at Valluvar Kottam.