CHENNAI, Feb 27: Three-time AIADMK Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, who held top party positions before his expulsion in 2022, on Friday joined the DMK in the presence of its president and Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin in what is seen as a shot in the arm for the ruling party ahead of the elections.
A trusted confidant of late AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa, Ottakara Thevar Panneerselvam, popularly known as OPS, joined arch rival DMK, after unsuccessfully struggling for over three years to rejoin his parent outfit.
“Are you not embarrassed,” asked the AIADMK, highlighting OPS’s meteoric rise in the party and underscored that he had even been the official signing authority to endorse the candidature of party nominees in elections.
Seventy-five year old OPS, a prominent face of the influential Mukkulathor community, who had functioned as AIADMK Treasurer and also held the erstwhile top position of party coordinator, joined the DMK along with his son, P Ravindhranath Kumar and supporters.
OPS joining the DMK is expected to strengthen the ruling party more in southern districts where the Mukkulathor community wields solid electoral influence.
Incidentally, OPS, an MLA, is the last man in his camp to move out while his prominent supporters including V Vaithilingam and PH Manoj Pandian had already joined the DMK. The legal battles OPS had initiated over his expulsion, targeting the AIADMK brass led by Palaniswami (EPS) did not succeed. EPS had, over the recent years, often labelled OPS as a ‘betrayer.’ EPS had often alleged that OPS supported the DMK by his actions and the former always questioned the latter’s loyalty to the AIADMK.
Since last month, following a meeting between OPS and minister PK Sekar Babu, speculation has been rife that the ex-CM will join the DMK. Adding to the speculations, OPS supporter P Ayyappan days ago expressed confidence in the TN Assembly that Stalin-led government would be re-elected.OPS himself said on February 20 that the DMK has the edge and it would win Assembly polls. Today, Sekar Babu, who was himself an ex-AIADMK leader accompanied OPS to DMK headquartes ‘Anna Arivalayam’.
A party worker soon after the AIADMK’s founding in 1972, he had been the chief minister thrice (2001-02, 2014-15 and 2016-17) and had held plum portfolios including finance, revenue and public works in his long stint in the governments led by the AIADMK.
Speaking to reporters, Panneerselvam expressed happiness in joining the DMK and hit out at AIADMK general secretary Palaniswami as an “autocrat” and “arrogant”’ who has created a situation of “no-victory” for the AIADMK at all times.To questions related to the situation he faced in the AIADMK following his expulsion, he said he was not concerned about the past and that he would abide by CM Stalin’s diktat.
CM Stalin understands people’s needs and delivers welfare schemes to all sections of the people without any bias, he said and denied labelling DMK an evil force, a standard refrain used by the AIADMK leaders to target the party’s archrival.He claimed that today, there is no one party that could oppose the DMK.
OPS joining the DMK has left several in disbelief with many wondering how a leader of his stature, who had been regarded as only next to ‘Amma’ Jayalalithaa in terms of stature and hierarchy during his hey days could switch over to DMK which relentlessly targeted Jayalalithaa, who gave him his identity and status. (PTI)
