Chennai: A new star emerged on the crowded Dravidian political landscape on Friday with the late Jayalalithaa’s kin Deepa launching her ‘MGR Amma Deepa Peravai’ in fulfillment of her promise to “carry forward auntie’s pro-people programmes”.
“Everyone wants new leadership for the AIADMK and I shall fulfill that craving from this Amma’s position. I am now ready to dedicate my life in the service of the people of Tamil Nadu”, Deepa told the crowd-and the TV cameras-at her T’Nagar residence here.
While the 1,000-odd crowd that gathered outside cheered her announcement by waving twin fingers to show the AIADMK’s symbol, a flood of lampooning responses flooded the social media thereafter.
One such message wondered who Deepa was taking advice from as she has now ended up with an outfit whose acronym reads, MAD Peravai.
Another FB post asked a funny question-’Is MGR’s mother Deepa?’ Oblivious of such jibes and appearing confident of wading through the whirlpool of politics, Deepa told her supporters that she would contest in the by-election at RK Nagar, which is caused by her aunt’s death. She had met O. Panneerselvam “only for courtesy sake” and would never join hands with him or with Sasikala.
“There is a conspiracy to prevent me from entering politics. Some people are working against my contesting the RK Nagar by-election, but I am determined to contest”, Deepa declared. She also said her peravai would contest the coming local bodies elections.
When a reporter asked her view on the Supreme Court convicting Jayalalithaa in the Disproportionate Assets Case, she shot back: “Amma did not commit any crime. False allegations had been made against her. Sasikala and family misused Amma’s name to fulfill their own needs”.
Public penchant for dynastic rulers
None outside her own small circle of the family and friends knew Deepa until she landed at the Apollo Hospital and demanded access to see her aunt Jayalalithaa in the intensive care unit.
The crowd on Marina went wild when she went to pay floral tribute to her aunt at her memorial a day after the funeral on December 6. Eyewitnesses said some thought she was Amma's ghost because of her close resemblance to Jayalalithaa. And that's all that Deepa has to back her claim to her aunt's legacy and the leadership of AIADMK; nothing else, no public service or political experience. But then, that's been Tamil Nadu's bane for a long time, this public penchant for dynastic rulers.
