CHENNAI: Protests sweeping across the state for the release of AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa from jail has taken a devotional turn amidst increasing hope with the Karnataka High Court expected to hear her bail plea on Tuesday.
While fasts, demonstrations and human chains continue unabated, Monday witnessed display of loyalty taking party functionaries more to poojas besides inflicting pain on them by piercing spears. Fire walk and eating ‘mann soru’ (food served on the floor) too have caught the imagination of the party workers, a desperate flock yearning for the return of their iconic leader.
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Five ardent Jayalalithaa supporters performed a novel prayer by piercing their chin with 23-ft-long spears to propitiate the Periya Mariamman in Erode. Assembling near the Corporation office complex, they pierced the spears and went in a procession to the temple. A large number of cadre took ‘mann soru’. A smilar ‘mann soru’ ritual was performed in Vellore with a large participation of women cadre.
At the Pillayarpalayam Angala Parameswari temple in Kancheepuram, AIADMK cadre, led by legislators Somasundram and Walajabad Ganesan, undertook the fire walk ceremony. The famed Madura Kaliamman temple at Siruvachur in Perambalur district witnessed nearly hundred party workers tonsuring their head and carrying out ‘angapradakshinam’.
In Dharmapuri, nearly 1000 women from the AIADMK took out a ‘Pal Kudam’ (milk pot) procession for the early release their leader. Party workers in nearby Krishnagiri too conducted special poojas and abishekams at the Devi Karumari Amman temple, besides holding fasts and demonstrations.
Special poojas and a ‘Rudra yagna’ were performed at the famed Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai. The ceremonies carried out by 70 Sivacharyas saw city mayor V Rajan Chellappa and local MP R Gopalakrishnan, in attendance. Special abhishekams were also performed to the presiding deities, Meenakshi and Sundareswarar. In Sri Rangam, local AIADMK unit conducted a ‘Maha Sudarsana Homam’ in the vicinity of the Sri Ranganatha Swamy temple. Protests have gained momentum with each passing day and the civil society too has joined the chorus. Mini-buses were off the road in most of the southern districts as well as in Erode. The AIADMK organised massive human chain protests in Erode and Nagercoil.
Commencing in the morning, the human chain in Erode witnessed the participation of thousands of people, mostly women who carried placards expressing solidarity with the former Chief Minister. In Nagercoil, it was a 20 km long human chain organised by former minister and local strongman Dalavai Sundaram. The fast at Namakal saw support pouring in from the transgender community as well. Over 70 transsexuals joined the protest fast observed by the AIADMK in the town.
In Ramanathapuram, descendants of king Muthuramalinga Sethupathy led a demo.
Meanwhile, the spate of ‘suicides’ over the conviction and sentencing of Jayalalithaa continued with one more being reported from Tiruchy. Police said, 34-year-old K Natarajan of Konarchathiram, took the extreme step when he was alone at his house.