CUDDALORE: Year 1982. The AIADMK’s women’s wing conference was progressing at Manjakuppam ground in Cuddalore. J Jayalalithaa made her first public speech at the conference – on the glory of women and the schemes that touched their lives. That was the first glimpse of her political spark. In effect, she laid the path for her glorious political career.
“Jayalalithaa delivered a speech on the topic Bharathi Kanda Puthumai Pen in a session at the conference titled Pennin Perumai. At that time, she did not hold any post in the party. But a few months later, MGR made her the party’s propaganda secretary,” said Murugamani, presently the AIADMK’s Cuddalore district functionary.
Murugamani said he gave the invitation for the Cuddalore conference to Jayalalithaa in person. “She staged a dance drama at the Fifth World Tamil Conference in Madurai in 1981. The drama’s topic was Cauvery Thantha Kalaiselvi,” Murugamani said.
On the party conferences in the following years, Murugamani said, “A massive conference was organised by the party in Madurai in July 1986. MGR gave me the opportunity to preside over that conference. I was the party’s student wing secretary of South Arcot district then. At this conference, MGR handed over the sceptre (Sengol) to Jayalalithaa on the stage. The picture of that event is very famous. That was the strongest indication that MGR offered Jayalalithaa the reins of the party.”
Thirty two years after her maiden public speech, while addressing people during the campaign in Cuddalore for the 2014 parliamentary elections, Jayalalithaa recalled her political entry. A spectacular journey indeed.