'EPS a temporary General Secretary': Sengottaiyan to challenge ‘dictatorial' expulsion from AIADMK

Chennai, Nov 1 Expelled AIADMK veteran K. A. Sengottaiyan on Saturday announced that he would initiate legal action against his removal from the party, calling it "unjust, unconstitutional and dictatorial".

The former minister asserted that General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) was only a "temporary" leader without Election Commission recognition and therefore lacked the authority to expel members.

Speaking to reporters in his hometown, Sengottaiyan said his ouster violated the party’s bylaws framed by founder M.G. Ramachandran in 1975.

"According to those rules, only a General Secretary elected by the members can take disciplinary action. I was removed without any notice or chance to explain. This is nothing but autocracy," he charged.

The AIADMK veteran said he would consult legal experts and challenge the expulsion in court.

"I have served this movement since MGR’s time. Expelling a senior like me without due process is unacceptable," he added.

Turning his fire on Palaniswami, Sengottaiyan blamed him for the party’s electoral setbacks since 2019. "Under his leadership, the AIADMK has faced defeat after defeat. Instead of introspection, he blames others," he said.

Responding to criticism over his recent meeting with expelled AIADMK leader O. Panneerselvam and AMMK chief T.T.V. Dhinakaran at Pasumpon, Sengottaiyan said it was meant to promote unity within the party.

"I spoke to them to strengthen the AIADMK. For that, I was expelled," he said.

Rejecting EPS’s charge that he was part of the DMK’s 'B Team', Sengottaiyan retorted: "The people know who the real B Team is. I am not B Team — A1 is him", in a pointed reference to Palaniswami’s status as the prime accused in the Kodanadu estate case.

He further alleged that Palaniswami’s dominance extended to the Assembly.

"When Panneerselvam was Deputy Speaker, the resolution to remove him was passed within ten minutes after the Chief Minister spoke. That shows where real power lies," he said.

In a stinging remark, he quipped: "If there were a Nobel Prize for betrayal, it should go to Palaniswami."

Recalling the magnanimity of earlier leaders, Sengottaiyan said MGR and Jayalalithaa always prioritised unity over ego. "Even if I am expelled, I will continue to work for the movement founded by MGR and nurtured by Amma. The AIADMK belongs to its cadre, not to one man," he declared.

Sengottaiyan, one of the senior-most AIADMK leaders and a long-time confidant of late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, was expelled after he travelled in the same car as Panneerselvam from Madurai to Pasumpon in Ramanathapuram district to attend the 118th birth anniversary and Guru Puja of freedom fighter Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar.

At the memorial, the two were joined by Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) General Secretary Dhinakaran, and the trio jointly garlanded Thevar’s statue and offered floral tributes.

Later, both OPS and Sengottaiyan met Sasikala, Jayalalithaa’s close aide, who also visited Pasumpon to pay her respects.

The rare meeting of the four once-powerful figures from the AIADMK camp created a political storm across Tamil Nadu.

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