The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) functionaries and cadre on Monday took a vow to secure all the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in the 2014 elections so that party supremo J Jayalalithaa would be at the helm of affairs at New Delhi.
The AIADMK cadre took this oath after paying homage to party founder and former Chief Minister MG Ramachandran at his recently renovated memorial on Marina beach, on the occasion of the late leader’s 25th death anniversary.
Finance Minister O Panneerselvam read out the 18 pledges from a podium near the MGR memorial and senior functionaries and thousands of AIADMK cadre repeated them.
At around 10 a.m., Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, accompanied by party colleagues, paid floral tributes at the memorial.
Party’s presidium chairman E Madhusudanan asked the cadre to observe silence for two minutes as a mark of respect for MGR.
Speaking on the occasion, PH Pandian, AIADMK’s organising secretary, said Jayalalithaa had been following the legacy of MGR and has been a protective shield to the crores of cadre of the party. “Let us all vow to secure all the 40 seats in the Lok Sabha elections and make Amma the next Prime Minister,” he said.The 18 pledges elaborated the measures taken by the government headed by Jayalalithaa for the welfare of the various sections of the society.
On her way to MGR memorial, Jayalalithaa had to wade through the thousands of cadre who had gathered along both sides of the Kamarajar Road.