Chennai: The chorus for the AIADMK General Secretary, Sasikala Natarajan, to take over the reins of the government grew shriller on Monday with Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M. Thambidurai asking her to take charge as Chief Minister, saying the “leadership of the party and the government should be with the same person” to ensure people’s welfare.
In a four-page statement released by the AIADMK headquarters, the senior AIADMK leader stressed it was imperative for Ms Natarajan to assume office as Chief Minister to ensure that the party functions “very effectively to get the wholehearted support of the people, and to continue to win the election” since the Lok Sabha polls are just two years away.
“It is my strong belief that it is very important that respected Chinamma has to shoulder the responsibility of the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, to take forward the party and to carry on the governance of Tamil Nadu, for the welfare of the people of Tamil Nadu,” the AIADMK Propaganda Secretary said.
In the statement that came two days after Ms Natarajan took charge as AIADMK General Secretary, Mr Thambidurai said the people of India have not accepted the situation where the leadership of the party is in one hand and the leadership of the government is in another hand.
He also contended that the past history has shown that governments have lost their credibility among the people when the leadership of the party and the leadership of the government were in the hands of two different persons. “The unfinished tasks of the party and the government, as expected by Puratchi Thalaivi Amma, will be completed only when the leadership of the party and the leadership of the government are in the hand of one person,” Mr Thambidurai said.
Thambidurai adds to the clamour that is growing in strength every day asking Ms Sasikala take over as Chief Minister. Contending that Ms Sasikala’s first address on Saturday has created confidence in the minds of all AIADMK cadre and everyone feels that she has come to “rescue all of us, as a lighthouse”, the AIADMK leader said the “leadership of Chinamma” alone would continue to implement several welfare schemes for the people of Tamil Nadu that were initiated by late M.G. Ramachandran and J. Jayalalithaa.
“Several hundred persons like me, who have been closely associated with respected Chinamma for the last 33 years, for political reasons, for the reasons of election campaigning and for party administration knew the intelligence of respected Chinamma,” he said.
“Above all, we know that she has been able to think the way same as Puratchi Thalaivi Amma thinks; and we also knew very well that Chinamma has the capability to take decisions without any likes or dislikes,” the statement said.
Speaking to reporters after calling on Sasikala, Thambidurai also cited the ongoing political tussle in the Samajwadi party in Uttar Pradesh to drive home his point that the control of government and party should vest in the same person.
“Now you see problem has cropped up in Uttar Pradesh, the party was with father and government with son that is why the leadership of both the party and governance should be with the same person,” he said.
