OPS Joins DMK in Presence of chief minister M.K. Stalin: Major Political Shift in Tamil Nadu

Former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam on Thursday formally joined the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in the presence of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin at Anna Arivalayam in Chennai. His son and former MP Ravindranath Kumar also enrolled themselves in the party. A large number of OPS supporters gathered outside the party headquarters to express solidarity with their leader.

Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, Ministers K.N. Nehru, E.V. Velu and Sekarbabu were present when Panneerselvam was inducted into the party fold.

Addressing reporters after joining the DMK, Panneerselvam said he was “happy to have joined the mother party founded by Anna.” He said Chief Minister Stalin was steering both the party and the government by embracing all sections, in the path shown by C.N. Annadurai and M. Karunanidhi.

Launching a sharp attack on AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami, Panneerselvam alleged that his “authoritarian and arrogant approach” had pushed the party into a situation where it would not be able to win again. He claimed that lakhs of AIADMK cadres had shifted to the DMK after the demise of former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.

“Stalin is leading the party with a clear understanding of how a political movement must be run. The achievements of the past five years have reached the people fully. The poor, the downtrodden and women are content under this regime,” he said. Drawing parallels with the functioning style of Annadurai and Karunanidhi in the Assembly, he said Stalin was adopting the same inclusive approach.

Panneerselvam further alleged that Palaniswami lacked leadership qualities and was working to prevent leaders from the southern districts from emerging within the AIADMK. “Under his leadership, the AIADMK is on a path of decline,” he said.

Referring to the internal strife in the AIADMK, Panneerselvam said he had been hurt by bitter developments in the party in recent years and that the culture of accommodation no longer existed there. “Without any pressure and of my own volition, I have decided to join the DMK. If given an opportunity by Stalin, I will contest in the forthcoming Assembly election,” he said, expressing confidence that the DMK would return to power.

“Over the past five years, several welfare schemes benefiting all sections have been implemented effectively. The DMK will form the government again in Tamil Nadu. Many have appreciated my decision. I have never described the DMK as an evil force. The AIADMK has no future,” he asserted.

The road travelled by OPS

The 75-year-old leader had been with the AIADMK since 1973. Over the decades, he served as Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, Leader of the Opposition (Deputy), AIADMK coordinator and party treasurer.

After being sidelined in the AIADMK following the ‘single leadership’ controversy, Panneerselvam launched the ‘AIADMK Cadres’ Rights Retrieval Committee’ and functioned as a separate faction. While refraining from floating a new party — fearing it would permanently shut the doors to reconciliation — he continued to send feelers seeking re-entry into the parent organisation.

Even after publicly stating that he was willing to return to the AIADMK without conditions, Edappadi K. Palaniswami did not agree to readmit him. BJP leaders, whom Panneerselvam had hoped would support him, also distanced themselves, leading to his exit from the NDA.

In the intervening period, some of his loyalists quietly moved towards the DMK, while others found space either in the parent Dravidian fold or in actor Vijay’s political outfit. On Jayalalithaa’s birth anniversary, a visibly emotional Panneerselvam had asked at a public meeting in Bodinayakanur, “Where else can I go?”

Subsequently, he met Chief Minister Stalin along with his son, triggering political speculation. After maintaining silence for a while, he met the Chief Minister again at the Secretariat on the final day of the recent Assembly session, presented him with a bouquet and praised the government’s performance over the last five years, predicting the DMK’s return to power. His supporting MLA, Usilampatti Ayyappan, had also voiced support for Stalin in the Assembly.

Supporters of Panneerselvam said the BJP did not push for his re-entry into the AIADMK fearing that Palaniswami might quit the alliance. They also claimed that Panneerselvam declined to join Vijay’s party, stating that it would not be appropriate for someone who had served thrice as Chief Minister to join a newly launched outfit.

According to them, talks with the DMK intensified thereafter. The DMK leadership is said to have assured him of due respect in the party and indicated that opportunities could be extended to some of his supporters as well. “That is why he first sent some of his loyalists and has now joined himself,” they said.