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In a watershed event for the AIADMK, the party on Tuesday elevated Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) as its supreme leader, the general secretary, moments after deposed leader O Panneerselvam (OPS) lost one more legal battle against his expulsion from the party. While the Madras High Court rejected pleas of Panneerselvam and his aides against their expulsion from AIADMK, 68-year old Palaniswami for the first time became the general secretary after the post's revival last year. Before his elevation, EPS was the interim general secretary. Party founder-leader M G Ramachandran (MGR), former party supremo J Jayalalithaa, Navalar VR Nedunchezhiyan, P U Shanmugam and S Raghavanandam were the only other leaders who had held that top post in the AIADMK, which was founded in 1972. On being elevated, cadres gave Palaniswami a rousing welcome and made him wear a dark glass and bright white cap just like MGR and he happily waved at cadres, seen as a gesture of bringing the party under his full ...
Deposed AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam on Friday said the Supreme Court judgment that allowed Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) to continue as party interim chief is not a setback and asserted that he would go to the people and seek justice. In his first official reaction to the top court's ruling, Panneerselvam said no verdict is a setback for them. "Only after this judgment, our party workers are enthused more," he told reporters. Asserting that the 'Dharma Yudham' is on, Panneerselvam, popularly known as OPS said he and his followers would go to the people to seek justice. Answering a question on accusations hurled against him and his followers that they are the ruling DMK's 'B' team, Panneerselvam said 'they (Palaniswami camp) are the A to Z team' of DMK. "Can they accuse us over a single thing? There are a thousand things, these will come out one after the other," he said. They were patient so far considering party discipline and to ensure that the party does not 'break-up,' OPS add