Chennai: AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami has filed separate responses to the Election Commission of India, saying the body lacked jurisdiction in the internal affairs of AIADMK. “Disgruntlement of a few anti-party elements cannot knock on this commission through any back door. Their grievances, if any, can be taken up only by civil courts and not by the commission,” Palaniswami said.
His latest responses came a week after Madras high court vacated the stay on the proceedings of ECI based on representations of seven people including P Ravindhranath, V Pugazhendi, K C Palanisamy and S Surya Moorthi.
In his written responses, a few of which have been accessed by TOI, Palaniswami contended that petitioners were not party members and were seeking to agitate the internal affairs of the party, which either attained finality in civil courts or in respect of which the civil courts already passed orders. The representations ought to be rejected without any further consideration, he said.
The AIADMK general council amended the party’s bylaws on July 11, 2022, exercising its vested authority. It expelled four members from the party for “extreme anti-party activities”, Palaniswami said, without naming MLAs O Panneerselvam, R Vaithilingam, Paul Manoj Pandian and former MLA JCD Prabhakar. These resolutions were held valid, and the party held internal elections as per bylaws and as per the directions of the court and elected its general secretary.
The civil court restrained Panneerselvam from holding out as coordinator of the party, he added.
Palaniswami recalled EC recognising him as general secretary in April 2023, emphasizing no factual changes warranting the commission’s interference. “Neither the present petitioner nor any of the other representations before the commission claim there has been a change in any position in the party,” EPS said. Following the April 2023 communication, AIADMK contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections using the two leaves symbol.
A March 2024 order of the civil court restrained Panneerselvam from using the symbol, a decision upheld by the high court’s division bench and later the Supreme Court. AIADMK also held two general council meetings in 2023 and 2024.