Palaniswami chairs crucial meet of top office-bearers amidst challenge from rebels

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami held an interactive meeting with top party functionaries, including over 80 district secretaries, to address dissent and demands for a general council meeting.

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Tuesday conducted an interactive meeting with the frontline office bearers of the party, including district secretaries, against the background of demand from rebels, who have extended support to the TVK, to convene the general council.

Palaniswami, who extended an olive branch to dissenters on May 18 by asking them not to become fireflies, began hearing the views of the top party functionaries at the party's headquarters.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, senior AIADMK leader B V Ramana told reporters that most of the district secretaries participated in the meeting. When reporters asked him about the number of district secretaries who participated, he said more than 80 of them took part.

Palaniswami had earlier announced that the meeting would be held at his Greenways Road residence here.

However, he arrived at the party headquarters accompanied by his followers.

The top AIADMK leader had replaced the secretaries of 26 districts, including 12 legislators who voted in favour of the TVK government during the floor test on May 13.

The breakaway group led by former state ministers, including C Ve Shanmugam, S P Velumani and Dr C Vijayabaskar, who have been stripped of their party posts, are gearing up to convene the general council meeting, seeking to completely back the Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay-led TVK government, a move staunchly opposed by Palaniswami.