CHENNAI: Amid the ongoing internal war for power in the AIADMK, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Sunday said no particular person could claim a right to the legacy of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa, as she had not identified a political successor.
Addressing the M G Ramachandran centenary celebrations at Ponneri near here, the chief minister recalled a story of an honest king, Vir Singh ruling Madhya Pradesh, who did not hesitate to even chop his erring son’s head for unethical behaviour.
“Amma had been the reincarnation of the king. She showed no mercy in punishing the guilty,” he said. Palaniswami added, “She did not like to have a political heir. That was why she did not identify any individual for that position.” She proved that even a grassroots level party cadre had the right to reach the apex of the power structure after her, he said.
Claiming that he deserved to occupy the seat of power, the chief minister said it was Jayalalithaa’s principle of equality alone that helped a person like him climb the ladder to hold the reins. Enlisting the projects implemented/introduced by his government, he said a few were making it a habit to criticise the government like opposition parties and asserted that none could lay their hands on the government till it enjoyed the unwavering support of the party cadre.
Besides inaugurating several developmental projects, Palaniswami launched certain new ones as well. He announced that the Fisheries College and Research Institute established at Ponneri would be named after MGR. During the event, the Chief Minister distributed assistance to several beneficiaries under various welfare schemes of the government.