MGR was once the Treasurer of the DMK and he too was expelled from the DMK because he questioned the corruption in the party funds No one has the right to remove me from the post of treasurer, given to me by Amma : O Panneerselvam The signature of the Treasurer of the party is required to withdraw funds from the Bank
Once Panneerselvam rebelled against Sasikala, saying he was forced to resign from the post of Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, he immediately lost all power in the AIADMK party as well. O Panneerselvam had been removed as All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) Treasurer post as of February 7 after an emergency meeting at the party general secretary Sasikala Natarajan's house. D Srinivasan had been appointed in place of Panneerselvam.
But one must never underestimate the power of a humble treasurer or for that matter O Panneerselvam. Sasikala learnt it the hard way in the past few days. “No one has the right to remove me from the post of treasurer which was given to me by Amma 10 years ago,” OPS said on the night of February 7. Sasikala just has to look back in the history of AIADMK’s founder MGR to know where Panneerselvam gets his courage from.
In 1953 MGR joined the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) attracted by founder C.N.Annadurai. After the death of his mentor, Annadurai, MGR became the treasurer of DMK in 1969. MGR spoke against the corruption in the DMK and in a public meeting asked for the financial details of the party to be publicised. This move did not go down well with DMK stalwarts who immediately ordered his expelling from the party.
MGR then floated a new party named Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (ADMK), later renamed All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), the only powerful opponent of the DMK in Tamil Nadu.
Coming back to the Panneerselvam and the Sasikala tug-of-war in Tamil Nadu. One of the possible reasons being circulated for OPS’s ouster from the party has been that of an allegation made by KS Geeta, an AIADMK leader. In an interview to India Today, she alleged that former chief minister OPS had refused to sign 'illegal deals' worth hundreds of crores in favour of Sasikala's loyalists, particularly Shekar Reddy. She also alleged that Sasikala was so angered by OPS' refusal to sign the documents that she forced him to resign.
If this were to be the case then surely it is an odd coincidence that even MGR was once expelled from his party for refusing to toe the party line. Panneerselvam, too, has refused to take this lying down and has, in separate letters to the two banks, located in Mylapore ordered them not to give out any funds.
"In accordance with by-law 20, sub-clause 5 in the party constitution, in continuance of my appointment as treasurer of AIADMK by Puratchi Thalaivi Amma (Jayalalithaa), I request you not to permit anyone else to operate our AIADMK party's current account without my written consent and instructions," he wrote to the respective chief managers of Karur Vysya bank and Bank of India.
The signature of the Treasurer of the Party is required for anyone to sanction funds from the Bank and in this case OPS is still the Treasurer of the AIADMK as despite just appointing D Srinivasan as the new Treasurer, Srinivasan’s signatory approval is still to be issued, till then its OPS who controls the money purses. And we all know that no party can do without funds and for Sasikala to orchestrate anything bigger, she would need finance. Stopping that source is Panneerselvam’s order. Saiskala may show the might of her troops, but OPS has worked out the actual power source.
Panneerselvam claimed that AIADMK office bearers - members of the central executive committee, deputy general secretary and treasurer, among others- nominated by the party's general secretary would continue to hold their respective posts until a new chief is elected in accordance with relevant rules.
This could be OPS' last move as AIADMK party treasurer. Tomorrow, may be Sasikala will wrestle control, but till then Panneerselvam has shown, that a humble treasurer cannot be taken lightly.
(with inputs from PTI)
