Panneerselvam joined the DMK in the presence of chief minister MK Stalin at the DMK headquarters, Anna Arivalayam. “It gives me immense happiness that I have joined the ‘Thaai Kazhagam’ (mother party), the DMK, founded by Perarignar Anna (former chief minister CN Annadurai),” Panneerselvam said while addressing the media. “In the path and political culture of embracing everyone shown by Anna and Kalaignar (M Karunanidhi), Thalapathy (MK Stalin) is leading the party and the government.”
Panneerselvam said AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami was conducting himself in politics like an autocrat and has created a situation in which the AIADMK may never be able to achieve success in politics. “Stalin is giving good governance to people, and people are seeing that,” Panneerselvam said. “EPS (Palaniswami) is keen on making sure no leaders from the South become strong. To save the Dravidian movement, it’s the DMK which is working. I have just joined as a cadre. I will be one among the party cadres and work for the party’s development.”
For a leader known for his loyalty to former chief minister J Jayalalithaa, Panneerselvam joining AIADMK’s principal rival represents a sharp departure from his earlier stance.
Stalin said Panneerselvam joined the DMK to safeguard the Dravidi. Late CM Jayalalithaa chose Panneerselvam as the stand-in chief minister twice-in 2001 and 2014. He became CM again in 2016 after Jayalalithaa’s death, but lost the post within a couple of months. He later served as deputy CM and joint coordinator of the AIADMK, but his differences with Palaniswami grew. In July 2022, Palaniswami got the party bylaws amended, eliminating the dual leadership structure and expelled OPS from the party. In a post in Tamil on X, AIADMK’s IT wing handle has called OPS a “chameleon”. The post also ridiculed his ‘dharma yuddham’, a revolt he undertook against Sasikala and Palaniswami for “soul of the party” that he believed was being corrupted by them.
