The AIADMK is getting ready to anoint Sasikala Natarajan, the close confidante of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa for nearly three decades, as the next general secretary of the party.
late on Saturday afternoon, a group of senior leaders of the AIADMK, led by party Presidium Chairman E Madhusoodanan drove down to Veda Nilayam and urged Sasikala to take over the post of general secretary.
The group consisted of former Ministers Sengottaiyan, Gokula Indira, Valarmathi and Chennai’s former Mayor Saidai Duraisamy and many others. Madhusoodanan was seen holding Sasikala’s hands and pleading with her with tears in his eyes to take over the leadership and guide the party at this hour of crisis. Her immediate reaction to the plea is not known, though it has been in the air that Sasikala was willing to be the party general secretary.
later, Vijaya Bhaskar, a Minister in the Panneerselvam Cabinet, told a TV channel that the unanimous feeling in the party was that Chinamma (Amma’s younger sister), as Sasikala is addressed by the party cadre, should become the general secretary of the party.
Another Minister SP Velumani also went public with his opinion that Chinamma should lead the party.
“No doubt, it is Chinamma. She is the next general secretary of the AIADMK. The party will ratify her appointment in the next General Council scheduled to meet in a fortnight’s time,” a source close to the Sasikala clan told The Pioneer on Saturday.
There is no reason not to believe him as he is a confidante of Natarajan as well as Sasikala and has not given any news which is not true. What is being seen in Chennai during the last three days also substantiates the statement by the source close to Sasikala’s family.
Chief Minister Panneerselvam and his Council of Ministers have already started paying obeisance to Chinamma. When Cho Ramaswamy passed away a day after Amma’s death early on Wednesday, Sasikala drove down to his residence at MRC Nagar in the silver coloured Toyota Prado, hitherto used only by Jayalalithaa.
On Friday evening, when Sasikala and her close relations visited the place where Jayalalithaa has been interred and offered floral tributes to the departed soul, Chief Minister Panneerselvam and his colleagues waited outside with reverence and entered the area only after Chinamma left the spot.
Former Finance Minister and AIADMK spokesman Ponnaian, a close associate of Subramanian Swamy, asked reporters on Saturday what was wrong in Sasikala being appointed as the party secretary. “What is the problem with Sasikala being appointed as the party general secretaryIJ The party will appoint a suitable person as the general secretary and you please wait,” he told scribes at Chennai who countered him with questions on the issue. He also said there was nothing unusual and abnormal in the Chief Minister and other officials calling on Sasikala at Veda Nilayam, where she has been staying.
Omsakthi Sekhar, former MlA and Puducherry strongman of the AIADMK too said that there was nothing wrong in the appointment of Sasikala Natarajan as the party secretary. “The question is whether she is capable of leading the party. Having been with Amma for the last three decades, Chinamma has acquired all qualities to take over as the party general secretary. Hence there is nothing unusual in this,” said Sekhar over phone from Puducherry.