‘AIADMK has been steadily declining’: CV Shanmugam targets EPS after removal from party posts | India News
New Delhi: AIADMK leader CV Shanmugam on Wednesday lashed out at the party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami Later he, SP Velumoni, C Vijayabaskar and several other leaders were removed from the main party posts amid a deep revolt within the AIADMK.Speaking to reporters, Shanmugam alleged that the party has faced continuous electoral setbacks since the EPS took over the leadership after the death of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.Referring to Palaniswami’s response to criticism of repeated election defeats, Shanmugam said, “Today when the general secretary (EPS) was asked why we lost, he replied by asking, ‘Didn’t the AIADMK lose in 1996? Didn’t we lose in 2006 too?’ Yes, we lost. But Purachi Thalaivi Amma had the power to bring the party back to power.”Appreciating Jayalalithaa’s leadership, he said, “After each defeat, Amma would declare that she would restore MGR’s rule once more, and she succeeded in bringing the party back to office for a second term. It was Amma who won the 1998 parliamentary elections by a landslide. After ten defeats after victory, pride was not born.”Shanmugam also alleged that the AIADMK’s electoral position worsened under the leadership of the EPS.“More specifically, after General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami took over, not only did the defeat continue, but we should have at least increased our number of seats. Instead, our setbacks became more severe with each election, and we steadily declined,” he said.Calling for an internal review of the party’s performance, he added, “The AIADMK’s defeat in the recently concluded assembly elections should be discussed. We need to consider and analyze the reasons behind these successive defeats. Especially after Amma’s death in 2016, we have faced successive defeats, be it parliamentary elections, assembly elections or assembly elections.”“The comments came hours after Palaniswami removed 25 rebel leaders and MLAs from party posts for allegedly defying the party line and supporting the TVK government during the confidence motion in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.
