EPS likely to become 'interim general secretary' in GC meeting

CHENNAI: Former chief minister and AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami's supporters have swung into action to conduct the general council meeting on July 11 and make him the steward of the party following a body-blow to OPS faction from the Madras High Court.

The High Court on Monday refused to entertain a contempt plea from Tirupur's M Shanmugam saying, “The direction which was given by the court is only applicable for the June 23 general council meeting and the same direction cannot be passed by the court for the July 11 general council meeting."

Even as the party decided to reintroduce the post of general secretary, an arrangement to elect an interim general secretary would be made in the July 11 meet as calling for an election will take time. With this, the party would dissolve the coordinator and joint coordinator posts.

In addition to this, the meet would empower the general secretary to bring about amendments to the party bye-laws with the same clout exercised by predecessors — MGR and Jayalalithaa.

Taking cognisance of the Covid situation in the State, deliberations are taking place to conduct the meet through video conferencing in the worst-case scenario. With the EPS camp determined to remove every obstacle in its way to conduct the general council meeting, the July 11 meet at Vanagaram is more or less finalised.

16 resolutions to be adopted:

With the arrangements for the GC meeting going in full swing, the party is looking to adopt 16 resolutions in the meet according to fresh invite sent to the general council members. The resolutions include a request to award Bharat Ratna to former chief minister J Jayalalithaa posthumously, condemnation of DMK for dropping welfare schemes introduced by the AIADMK, reintroducing general secretary election through votes by the rank and file of the party, and stopping the Karnataka government from constructing the Mekedatu dam.