CHENNAI: Taking strong exception to the use of the AIADMK flag by VK Sasikala and the claim that she is the general secretary of the party, the AIADMK on Sunday reiterated that Sasikala has no legal and moral right to do so.
With the AIADMK entering its golden jubilee year, leaders O Panneerselvam and Edappadi K Palaniswami hoisted the party flag at headquarters and garlanded the statues of MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa. Also, they released a souvenir to commemorate the occasion and the first copy was received by former minister C Ponnaiyan.
Later, Panneerselvam, Palaniswami and party functionaries paid floral tributes at the memorials of former Chief Ministers CN Annadurai, fondly called as Arignar Anna, MGR and Jayalalithaa on the Marina. Meanwhile, AIADMK spokesperson D Jayakumar told reporters: “Amma (Jayalalithaa) is the eternal general secretary of the AIADMK. Sasikala has no legal, moral right to claim ownership to AIADMK or its flag. The Election Commission of India has categorically ruled that the party led by Panneerselvam and Palaniswami alone is the real AIADMK. Claiming herself as the general secretary will be contempt of court and is violative of the ruling given by the ECI.”
Seeking to play down the golden jubilee celebrations for the AIADMK by Sasikala, Jayakumar described it as an effort to create confusion and said it would not have any impact on the cadre of the party. “There could be only Puratchi Thalaivar (MGR) and Puratchi Thalaivi (Jayalalithaa) for the AIADMK. What revolution has Sasikala ushered in to claim herself as Puratchi Thaai (Revolutionary Mother)? Her only revolution was making her family flourish. The people of Tamil Nadu and the cadre of the AIADMK will never accept this robbery gang. The general council’s decision to remove her as the interim general secretary in 2017 is final,” he added.
Jayakumar also ridiculed the change of title for Sasikala from ‘Thiyaga Thalaivi’ (Leader of Sacrifice) to ‘Puratchi Thaai’ on the occasion of golden jubilee celebrations of the AIADMK. The former minister wondered what sacrifice had Sasikala made for the party.
“What was she doing for the past eight months after being released from prison? Had the golden jubilee celebrations happened next year, she would have come to Amma’s memorial only next year. She has come out now as she could not digest the fact that the AIADMK celebrated the golden jubilee year unitedly,” Jayakumar said.
Meanwhile, tracing the trials and tribulations faced by the AIADMK during the past five decades, Panneerselvam, in an article, said “The AIADMK was expected to capture power in 2021 Assembly elections too. But due to impractical electoral promises of the DMK, victory slipped from the AIADMK’s grip. Now, the DMK is grappling with these promises. As such, the people are ready to give a befitting response to DMK in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. Let us vow to bring back AIADMK to power on this day.”
Minister questions change in title
Jayakumar also ridiculed the change of title for Sasikala from ‘Thiyaga Thalaivi’ (Leader of Sacrifice) to ‘Puratchi Thaai’ (Revolutionary Mother) on the occasion of the party’s golden jubilee. The former minister wondered what sacrifice Sasikala had made for the party