Ohsur: “EPS is indirectly supporting BJP in Karnataka. Tamils have vote bank in many parts of Karnataka. I think they have taken such a position to support BJP by destroying the vote bank of Tamils,” Karnataka State AIADMK Secretary SD Kumar has resigned from his post. SD Kumar has announced that he will resign from his post in condemnation of EPS.
SD Kumar, who met the media in this regard, said, “For the state of Karnataka, MGR has been contesting as a bastion for Tamils till the time of Jayalalithaa. But the AIADMK did not contest in the last assembly election and this Lok Sabha election. Karnataka AIADMK members are in a confused state of mind as to why and whom to support.
The first time EPS signed Form A and Form B to allocate the double leaf symbol was during the Karnataka assembly elections. But they made us withdraw at the last moment, saying that they would extend their support to the BJP within a few days.
We, who have worked hard for the party, had given the petition on the basis of Karnataka state AIADMK secretary that we should contest this Lok Sabha election. They also conducted an interview for it. EPS asked me to come to the headquarters the next day. Accordingly, he did not even meet me, he announced his candidacy only for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and left.
I asked why they did not announce the candidate for Karnataka state. His answer shocked me. EPS said it did not field a candidate in Karnataka because the party officials told it to. “You are the general secretary of the party. It is up to you to decide based on that. But what if I said not to contest because others told me to?”I asked the EPS only and said, ‘Relieve me from the responsibility as there is no clear decision’ and came away from there.
After that, we went to meet the EPS to be allowed to contest the Karnataka assembly elections. But, they treated the party executives in a low manner, saying, ‘Who invited you all?’ EPS met us after the administrators made noise.
But there is no chance of winning in Karnataka. If we contest there, we will not buy votes.’ The EPS said, ‘I will discuss in the group and then tell you who to support’, but no response has been given so far. I am one of those who voiced for single leadership in AIADMK. He has not taken any decision in the EPS which came as a single leader. He says he will talk to the committee and take a decision. So it is not a single leadership. Joint leadership.
EPS is in a position to decide who we want to work for as a general secretary. AIADMK members in Karnataka have been criticizing him disproportionately. Jayalalithaa bravely spoke out against the BJP in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. But today, EPS is talking as if it is campaigning for assembly elections, not like Lok Sabha elections. So far he has not opened his mouth about Delhi or Modi.
MGR fans are very angry with EPS. The reason is that EPS, who is the General Secretary, is putting MGR’s picture in a very small scale in his campaign vehicle. It doesn’t matter if someone else does. The general secretary of the party does not respect MGR. The founder of this party was MGR. It is unacceptable to belittle MGR by holding the flag and symbol created by him. MGR fans are very sad.
If I am going to contest in Bengaluru in the election, we wanted to put forward the Tamils. Tamil organizations gave us a letter of support. There were opportunities for all Tamil organizations to join together. But, we could not make it possible. AIADMK, which can be a bastion in Karnataka state, is a story of the fence grazing the crop, and the party leadership is destroying the party. What is the use of being the Secretary of State in such a situation?
As a State Secretary I cannot answer party workers. Without any other option, without resigning from the party, I resign from the post of Karnataka State Secretary given to me. Karnataka has been a bastion of Tamils till now. But now it is gone.
EPS indirectly supports BJP in Karnataka. Tamils are voting in many parts of Karnataka. I think he has taken such a position to support BJP by destroying the vote bank of Tamils. “Edappadi Palaniswami is running AIADMK in Karnataka like a letter-pad party,” he said.