UDHAGAMANDALAM: Ousted AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam's claim that he loaned 2 crore to late chief minister J Jayalalithaa has kicked up a fresh row. Addressing supporters at
Sulur
in Coimbatore on Tuesday,
OPS
said once Jayalalithaa sought 2crore from him. "Amma said she was facing multiple cases and had to pay cash to a few people. I gave her the money from the party fund. She repaid the sum within a month," OPS said.
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami came down heavily on OPS for the claim on Wednesday saying that such a statement was 'disgraceful'. Other AIADMK functionaries, including former minister D Jayakumar, slammed OPS for the remark.
OPS, however, reiterated his statement at a press conference in the Nilgiris on Wednesday. "I did not give her cash from my personal resources. Since I was the AIADMK treasurer, she asked me for the money from the party fund. She promptly repaid it. This transaction has been recorded in the party's financial documents, specifying the cash given to Amma and that she had returned it. I have read it out along with the party's expenditure and revenue in the general council meeting back then," OPS said.
When reporters pointed out to OPS that he would also face the same complaints of wrong doings because he was deputy CM at that time, OPS said EPS misused his special powers as CM and committed those wrong doings. Earlier in the day, OPS was welcomed with Badaga traditional music by his followers in Kotagiri. As everyone around him danced to the tunes, OPS shook a leg to the rhythm of the music.
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