They split up to great dramatic effect and merged in a manner reminiscent of a family drama. But the EPS and OPS factions of the AIADMK are distinct groups nonetheless, and now that the dust has settled on their merger, the two camps are locked in a pitched battle to prove who’s the boss in the Tamil Nadu government. Never mind that Edappadi Palaniswami is the Chief Minister and O Panneerselvam is the Deputy Chief Minister and that both of them are jointly in-charge of the party.
And TNM can now confirm that the first wickets to fall are the state Public Prosecutor R Rajarathinam and the Government Pleader MK Subramaniam. Both the law officers have been asked to tender their resignations by the Advocate General, Vijay Narayan, who, at the behest of the government, has asked them to resign within the week, according to sources.
TNM has got confirmation from the Public Prosecutor that he has indeed submitted his resignation at 10pm on Wednesday. Rajarathinam was appointed by the Jayalalithaa government in August 2016.
According to sources, Subramaniam is likely to follow suit on Thursday.
Not just Rajarathinam and Subramaniam, some of the Additional Advocate Generals in the state have also been asked to resign, according to TOI, to make way for younger lawyers.
It is usual for the ruling dispensation of the day to appoint law officers who are loyal to them; Rajarathinam and Subramaniam were appointed by Jayalalithaa when she was the Chief Minister. According to sources, the previous officers had been close to former MP and AIADMK leader Manoj Pandian.
Manoj Pandian belongs to the OPS faction in the current AIADMK structure, and it was at his behest that Rajarathinam and Subramaniam have been asked to resign, says a source closely working with the government.
"Law officers are appointed by the government and such transfers are not unusual when a new government is sworn in. It is unusual here as a faction within the same government is exerting pressure now," a source told TNM.
Update: TN Govt pleader MK Subramaniam has resigned, TN Rajagopalan has been appointed as GP-in-charge.