Quoting the operative lines of an old MGR film song from the film, ‘Naalai Namade’ (Tomorrow is Ours) as the prelude, O Pannerselvam, Deputy Chief Minister and Coordinator of AIADMK put out a tweet on Thursday night, which sounded like a call to party cadre to take an united stand, perhaps on the issue of the next Chief Ministerial candidate.
In the backdrop of too much media speculation on differences within the party on the next Chief Ministerial candidate of AIADMK, when four senior party functionaries met at the AIADMK headquarters on Thursday doubts arose if there were too many aspirants within the party.
Though the deputy coordinator of AIADMK K P Munusami and the other three functi,onaries, C V Shanmugham, Vaithilingam and Manoj Pandian, made it clear to the media that Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisway was doing well and that the Chief Minister candidate would be announced at the right time in the right way, doubts over differences in the party were not dispelled.
It is in this context, the Pannerselvams’ tweet assumes importance as the song urges all the ‘sons of the same mother to stand on the same line and take a straight path, tomorrow will be theirs.’ In the tweets that follow the main one, Pannerselvam stressed on the need to achieve a third-time victory in the elections in 2021.
He invoked the name of J Jayalaithaa, saying it was her dream to win a third term and also quoted the famous slogan of C N Annadurai, ‘Duty, Dignity and Discipline’ to urge the cadre to put out an united fight.
The title song of the film ‘Naalai Namade’ has, in fact, been a sort of anthem for the party, played at conferences and meetings, particularly when the party had been out of power. The lines are meant to inspire the cadre as it gives them the promise that tomorrow is theirs.
So, Pannerselvam quoting the same lines to call for unity seems to be an attempt to remind not just the cadre but also the leaders of the party that their aim should be to win the 2021 election and nothing else.
