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The family of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, who stands expelled from the AIADMK, has handed over two cheques worth Rs 25 lakh each to the Additional Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu, N. Muruganandam, for contribution towards the aid of Sri Lanka.
OPS, as Panneerselvam is popularly known, had announced in the state Assembly on April 29 that he would contribute an amount of Rs 50 lakh as aid to Sri Lanka. The sons of OPS, Theni MP P. Ravindranath and V.P. Jayapradeep, handed over the cheques to Additional Chief Secretary N. Muruganandam, who is in charge of the finance department. It may be noted that OPS is fighting a battle of existence in the AIADMK with his betenoire and former Chief Minister, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, who is presently the interim general secretary of the AIADMK. OPS was expelled in a general council meeting of the AIADMK that was held on July 11 in Chennai. OPS, according to party insiders, has been trying to forge an alliance with V.K. Sasikala to form a Thevar grouping to get back into the party fold. Several Thevar groups had already issued statements that OPS, a Thevar, was marginalised in the party and that EPS, a Goundar, was taking over the reins of the AIADMK. The Thevar community is a traditional support base for the AIADMK and if the community is estranged, it would affect the poll prospects of the party in Tamil Nadu where the Thevar community has significant say. --IANS aal/arm ( 266 Words) 2022-08-16-23:28:05 (IANS)
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