EPS thanks cadre, vows to bring AIADMK back in power

CHENNAI: AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Sunday thanked the party functionaries for electing him for the top post of the party and assured them that he would work tirelessly day and night to establish the party’s rule.

The party functionaries and cadre have the huge responsibility of fulfilling the pledge of the late party supremo J Jayalalithaa, said EPS in a statement and pointed out that Jayalalithaa’s remark, in the state Assembly, that the AIADMK would rule the state for 100 years even after her time.

In a thanksgiving message days after being elected unanimously as the party chief, the state er of Opposition thanked several senior leaders and functionaries for filing nominations on behalf of him for the post of general secretary. He further said that the party elected the GS as per the democratic process and the party’s constitution that said the party primary members should elect their leader.

Recalling his initial days as a branch secretary in Salem, he said the party has recognised his “work and honesty and made me the general secretary.”

“This is not merely a recognition for me; it is a recognition given by our party to democracy. It is a moment where the party has shown that the last man in the country has a share in power,” he said in a statement.

“I am proud that I have assumed the responsibility as the general secretary of a party that decides the leadership on the basis of democracy and not based on birth,” he said without specifying anyone.

He vowed to strive towards ensuring the party-led government again.

EPS was given a rousing reception on his way to his native district from Chennai on Sunday. At several locations, the party functionaries gathered in large numbers and gave him warm reception.