Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], May 27 : All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader SP Velumani on Wednesday asserted that there is "no split in the party, only differences of opinion" amid ongoing internal tensions within the organisation, as rival factions moved to withdraw disqualification-related petitions and signalled a possible reconciliation.
"There is no split in the party, only differences of opinion. We are all united. There are no conflicting views," Velumani said, addressing the media persons while referring to the internal differences that emerged within the party after the elections.
He said that both sides in the internal dispute had now withdrawn their respective petitions filed before the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker.
"After the election, we expressed certain views and took some decisions that were seen as being supportive of the ruling party. They had submitted a petition seeking the disqualification of our 25 members. Likewise, we had also submitted a petition seeking their disqualification. Now, both sides have withdrawn the petitions they had filed. We have submitted the withdrawal letter to the Speaker of the Assembly," he said.
Velumani further clarified that despite differences in opinion following the electoral setback, the leadership structure of the party remains intact. He said that Edappadi K Palaniswami continues to serve as the general secretary of the AIADMK.
"After the defeat, we had put forward certain views. We expressed our opinion with the belief that the AIADMK should continue to exist even a hundred years from now," he said, adding that discussions had taken place within the party regarding organisational reforms, including suggestions to convene the General Council meeting and form a committee.
He also noted that the general secretary had assured that the suggestions would be considered and implemented in due course.
Earlier today, AIADMK leader SP Velumani, along with the party MLAs supporting him, met Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker JCD Prabhakar at the Secretariat.
Furthermore, Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker JCD Prabhakar said he would examine the petitions submitted by both sides before arriving at a decision. "I cannot disclose the contents of the petitions given by two groups of AIADMK. I will go through the petition in detail and let you know about my decision tomorrow morning," the Speaker said.
The development comes after the SP Velumani-Shanmugam-led faction and the EPS factions withdrew their petitions related to the request for the appointment of a new AIADMK legislature party leader and chief whip. MLAs belonging to the faction led by SP Velumani and CV Shanmugam have officially withdrawn a letter previously submitted to Assembly Speaker JCD Prabakaran.
Meanwhile, the faction led by General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) has also withdrawn its petition seeking action against the rebels under the 'Anti-Defection Law'.
This move followed a meeting between members of the SP Velumani-Shanmugam-led faction and EPS, where the MLAs submitted an apology letter to the general secretary.
Notably, almost all MLAs associated with the 'rebel' camp were present during the meeting with the party leadership, with the exception of senior leader CV Shanmugam.
The development comes after weeks of deepening rift as the AIADMK faction led by CV Shanmugam and SP Velumani extended support to the TVK government in the Tamil Nadu assembly during the floor test, with Velumani accusing AIADMK of carrying out "politics opposing DMK". The AIADMK had sought the disqualification of 25 rebel MLAs who defied EPS's directives.
However, reconciliation seems likely after AIADMK earlier today asserted that there will be "no more divisions" within the party, indicating a reunion between Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) and Shanmugam-Velumani camp.