AIADMK locked in a fierce tussle for leadership
The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the Madras High Court order restraining the passing of any unannounced resolutions in the meeting of the AIADMK general and executive councils concerning the issue of single leadership of the party. The top court order virtually comes as a shot in the arm for the dominant Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) camp which is aggressively pushing for the single leadership to be helmed by him. The SC clarified that the General Council (GC) of the AIADMK which is to take place on July 11, 2022, may proceed in the accordance with the law.
The EPS camp was upbeat with the apex court order as the June 23 GC was all about the leadership subject, as witnessed in the events that unfolded. All the 23 resolutions supposed to be taken up that day were rejected. The June 23 GC also decided to meet again on July 11, ostensibly to elect Palaniswami as the single leader of the party, in line with the demand of 2,190 GC members out of the total 2,665 favouring such a meeting to elect a single leader.
The High Court order had come on the plea filed by AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam to stall the conduct of the party general council meeting by the Palaniswami faction in Chennai on July 11. Wednesday’s order of the apex court staying the high Court directive came on the appeal filed by Palaniswami, the former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. A vacation bench of Justices Dinesh Maheshwari and Krishna Murari issued notices to AIADMK general council members M Shanmugam and Panneerselvam who is a party coordinator.
The apex court observed that Madras High Court exceeded its jurisdiction by passing a stay order at the general council meeting. Senior advocate C S Vaidyanathan, appearing for Palaniswami, submitted that contempt petitions have been initiated for the party meeting held after which the apex court agreed to examine the matter. Senior advocate Maninder Singh, appearing for Shanmugam, submitted that the single bench, which had refused to stay at the general council meeting, did not record any reason in the order.
Panneerselvam had moved the Madras High Court with a civil suit to stall the conduct of the party general council meeting by the Palaniswami faction here on July 11. The HC division bench had held an extraordinary sitting past midnight and passed the order at 4 am on June 23. The court had ruled that no unannounced resolutions could be taken up at the meeting of the AIADMK general and executive councils here, restraining the camp led by joint coordinator Palaniswami from initiating any such move over the possible single leadership issue.
The internal rumblings of the AIADMK over the single leadership issue, with a majority of district secretaries and others favouring Palaniswami to take over the mantle, had prompted Panneerselvam to write to the former seeking deferring the meet, even as speculations were rife that the GC and EC could discuss the matter to affect the unitary leadership.
On June 23, the meet was held amid chaos and the AIADMK General Council announced that the one and only demand of the GC members is to bring in a system of a single leadership for the party, favouring Joint Coordinator Palaniswami.
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Supreme Court / High Court should stop entertaining any cases relating to politics and insist on politicians fight it out directly on the streets with knife & daggers & kill themselves in that course.
Courts should be only for common people & NOTHING for politicians