Sacking drama in AIADMK continues, CM loses primary membership of his party

Sacked AIADMK Presidium Chairman E. Madhusudanan who had earlier been expelled by Sasikala Natarajan from the party for backing Panneerselvam, however, on Friday, he expelled Sasikala Natarajan as the General Secretary of the party. The former Presidium chairman also removed Sasikala’s nephew TTV Dinakaran and relative Venkatesh from their respective party posts who were reinducted into the party after the Supreme Court announced Sasikala guilty in DA case on February 14. Even, E Palanisawami, CM of TN also expelled from the party before the trust vote. Madhusudanan was replaced with KA Sengottaiyan by Sasikala after he joined the Panneerselvam camp on February 10.

Palaniswami and others were expelled for bringing “disrepute to the party” by going against its ideals and principles, Madhusudanan said in statement.

A week ago, Sasikala had sacked Madhusudhanan as presidium chairman and replaced him with senior party leader KA Sengottaiyan. While dismissing him from the primary membership of the party, Sasikala said Madhusudanan had violated the party’s principles and brought disrepute to it.

“Sasikala has several criminal cases pending against her and is also involving herself in anti-party activities. Therefore, she has been removed from the primary membership of the party,” said Madusudhanan in an AIADMK letterhead addressed from the party headquarters at Royapettah.

After holding hectic discussions at Panneerselvam’s residence on Friday morning, a small group of AIADMK leaders met the Speaker in the Secretariat and demanded secret ballot on Saturday.

1. Semmalai, part of the Panneerselvam camp, said they have urged the Speaker for a secret ballot to decide on the motion of confidence.

However, a former MP of AIADMK is of the view that the legislators supporting Panneerselvam should vote against the confidence motion as a logical progression in their revolt.

“Panneerselvam and the legislators supporting him should openly vote against the motion of confidence and to build on the credibility in the people’s mind space,” K.C. Palaniswamy said on Friday.

Chief Minister E Palaniswamy, who will find out Saturday if he remains in charge of Tamil Nadu longer than two days, has received two pieces of advice from opposition leader MK Stalin. “Don’t smile at me” and don’t be a leader “remote-controlled” by VK Sasikala, the new matriarch of the Chief Minister’s party, the AIADMK.