OPS was expelled in a general council meeting of the AIADMK that was held on July 11 in Chennai…reports Asian Lite News
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.
Emergency in Lanka
Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe will not extend a state of emergency declared during the anti-government protests, his office announced on Wednesday.
After the improvement of the situation Wickremesinghe sees no necessity to extend the measure, the presidential office said in a statement.
The state of emergency gives broad powers to security forces to make arrests, reports dpa news agency.
It has been in effect for a month and is officially due to end this Thursday.
Amid the ongoing economic crisis, Sri Lanka witnessed months of widespread protests against the government and storming of several key buildings last month which eventually led to the resignation of former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Wickremesinghe was picked as his successor in a parliamentary vote on July 20.
He has in part addressed shortages of gas and fuel and restored some political stability, and the protests have recently largely fizzled out.
Sri Lanka still faces an unprecedented economic crisis and is currently negotiating with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to secure a bailout package.
