'Unitary' leadership voice emerges again in AIADMK

A majority of district secretaries and top office-bearers have underscored the need for unitary leadership and the party would take a decision in the due course on who should lead the party, senior AIADMK leader and former Minister D Jayakumar said.

After a gap, a demand that the party be led by a single leader emerged again in the main opposition AIADMK on Tuesday. A majority of district secretaries and top office-bearers have underscored the need for unitary leadership and the party would take a decision in the due course on who should lead the party, senior AIADMK leader and former Minister D Jayakumar said. Briefing reporters following a meeting of district secretaries and senior functionaries here, Jayakumar, answering a question reiterated that V K Sasikala is not a member of the AIADMK. She has absolutely nothing to do with the party and there was no discussion on her at all in the meeting, he said. Sasikala was the confidante of late Chief Minister and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa. Sasikala was chosen as interim general secretary following Jayalalithaa's death in 2016. Subsequently, Sasikala was eased out of the AIADMK. The voices pushing for a single leadership comes just about 6 months after the AIADMK amended its bye-laws to strengthen norms to retain the present leadership structure of top two positions held by O Panneerselvam (Coordinator) and K Palaniswami (Co-coordinator).