The political slugfest has begun amid AIADMK’s leaders a few hours after party supremo Jayalalithaa was laid to rest. The questions and counter-blame have been started amid senior leaders. They feel the oath took by O Pannerselvam as a CM was indecent haste as they feel it was a temporary move before Sasikalaa makes her objectives clear.
The power struggle amid two dominant caste groups has been playing out since Monday evening, even before the announcement of Jayalalithaa’s death, now it seems to get audible with leaders talking about the probability of Sasikalaa trying to play a bigger role. Legislators of the party told TOI that they would support Sasikalaa for making her party’s general secretary.
Leaders have faith on Sasikalaa and want her to see as AIADMK’s general secretary
“We feel the swearing-in was done in a haste to check any uprising to Sasikalla taking control suddenly.” said a senior AIADMK leader. Sasikalaa, who controlled much of the party affairs even when Jayalalithaa was in charge, is said to have the backing of more than half the number of party MLAs, many of them thevars, a community to which she and OPS belong. Another leader was more emotional. “Amma was buried as `Puratchi Thalaivi Selvi J Jayalalithaa’ (as embossed on her coffin) and not as the Tamil Nadu chief minister,” said a senior party member.
A haste was to avoid uncertainty,says one of the parties MP
This is the reason why they were in a tearing hurry to swear in OPS as CM. There is something strange.” After Amma, Page 15A senior party MP opposed the argument saying the hurry was to avoid uncertainty. “Rivals are bound to prey on our party . Wasn’t Rajiv Gandhi too sworn in even before the funeral of his mother Indira Gandhi?” Partymen point to earlier occasions when CMs died in office and interim CMs took over
Some AIADMK legislators pointed out when CN Annadurai dies in the office in January 1969, V R Nedunchezhian, the senior most DMK leader was made interim CM, who remained in the post from February 3 to 10,1969. Following the death of party’s founder M G Ramachandranon December 24, 1987, his wife Janaki became the CM only on January 7 and then there was no interim CM.
Partymen were upset to see the group of Sasikalaa relatives at Rajaji Hall in Chennai, where her body was placed for public view, some senior leader told TOI. These are the family members along with Sasikalaa’s husband Natarajan, whom Jayalalithaa kicked out of the party. How can she give them such importance? Sasikalaa has failed to respect Amma’s wishes,“Said a leader. This has sent a wrong signal across the party’s rank and file, he said.
