Chennai: Even as the AIADMK prepares its sombre podiums and pronouncements for the first death anniversary of J Jayalalithaa, the one critically important element that the ruling party members find gone along with their Amma is her iron grip over their politics, even their personal lives.
The high-decibel exchanges at the meeting of the office-bearers at the party headquarters here on Monday was just another demonstration of this bitter truth — the newfound ‘freedom’ going awry. There have been many such mighty shows of bravado since the demise of the Iron Butterfly on December 5 last year.
The party seniors scrupulously followed one thing that Amma used to insist upon: Choose an auspicious time for doing anything important. And so, even though the meeting was slated for 11 am, the participants drove in only after noon considering that 10.30-1200 was Yama-Gandam. What followed was quite an exciting session of free exchanges and healthy debating on two main issues — reconstituting of the aatchi-mandra-kuzhu (governing council) and selecting the candidate for the December 21 by-election in RK Nagar Assembly constituency.
Chief minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami said the kuzhu should be reconstituted as two of its seven members — Puratchithalaivi Amma and Visalakshi Nedunchezhiyan — have expired. To this, former minister K P Munuswami (OPS faction) retorted that there was no need for changes in the kuzhu, perhaps fearing that the body would get loaded in favour of EPS camp.
However, after a few exchanges, the reconstitution did go through but only after Munuswami got into it. The other new entrants are CM Palaniswami, former minister B. Valarmathi and Rajya Sabha member R. Vaithilingam.
Deputy CM Panneerselvam, party presidium chairman E. Madhusudhanan, MGR manram leader A. Tamilmagan Hussain, A. Justine Selvaraj of the minority wing and LS floor leader Dr P. Venugopal, already in the kuzhu, will continue as members.
Next came the question of party candidate for the RK Nagar by-election. The OPS faction batted for Madhusudhanan, arg-uing that he was the party candidate in the (cancelled) April 12 by-election besides being one of the senior-most leaders and one who had won from the same constituency to become a minister (during Jaya regime). This was hotly opposed by some, earlier identified with the EPS group, by arguing that the party needed a youngster for the robust campaign to take on the tough challenge from not just the DMK but also the Sasikala-TTV camp. This group went on to demand that the party field a woman candidate (they named former minister Gokula Indira), considering that the constituency had a woman, Amma, as its MLA till last year.
CM intervened to restore peace and said the decision on candidate could be deferred for a couple of days. Party could receive applications from willing candidates tomorrow (Tuesday), he said. Sources said the decision on candidate would be announced on Wednesday.
The CM rightly pointed out that this meeting was called to discuss arrangements for the observance of Amma's first death anniversary, so it should be done. Along with his deputy OPS, he issued a joint-statement saying an impressive procession would be taken by 'lakhs of party members' from all over the state from Anna's statue on Anna Salai to Amma's Samadhi at Marina on December 5 morning, followed by administering of an oath to follow in her footsteps to strengthen the party and do good for the state and its people.
