Protests against O Paneerselvam at party headquarters

With the MLAs, scores of redblack-white karai veshti clad cadre, chanting the words “amma and chinnamma valga” (long live amma and chinnamma) to hysterical levels and swearing loyalty to ‘Two Leaves’ symbol, the crowd began scuttling past the police barricades and reached the AIADMK headquarters from 9.30 am. 

The chanting grew louder and the mood turned restive as the crowd, modest by AIADMK standards, lined along the road for a few dozen metres in front of the party office, waiting for their seniors, who arrived one by one from 10.30 am in the government provided SUVs. The modest cheers began to crescendo when a grey SUV rolled in from Royapettah end. 

Sporting a broad grin and waving two fingers in the inimitable style of Jayalalithaa, AIADMK general secretary V K Sasikala entered the party office where a deafening roar welcomed the agitated CM aspirant around 11.30 am. As she climbed up the stairs to the hall on the first floor to drum up support and ‘confirm’ the loyalty of her MLAs, cadre stopped eulogizing ‘Chinnamma’ and started cussing OPS like a wave of home fans chanting against visiting football team during a derby. 

Tea stalls and vendors selling MGR and Jayalalithaa portraits on the platform were almost enveloped by groups of cadre who attributed every adjective in their lexicon, ranging from actor to traitor, and many worth not publishing, to Pannereselvam. “He is an actor. He is not humble. He is really the one who is power hungry. Why did he not rake up all these issues between December 5 and February 5 when he had occupied CM’s office,” said Ramesh of Ambattur, an AIADMK cadre who frequents the party office during such extraordinary circumstances. 

Predictably, the usual swear words against rival DMK started jarring most patient ear on the platforms, more so after Sasikala spelt out that she saw a DMK’s hand in OPS’s rebellion. “Stalin has purchased OPS. This greedy hungry man does not know that he will be ditched later. There is nothing unusual about DMK attempting such mischief, but why did he yield to that?” quipped cadre Shanmugham of Pattukottai.

At a time when the state is witnessing a high voltage political activity, VCK leader Thol Thirumavalan has stressed the need for the appointment of a permanent Governor to handle the situation.

Talking to DTNext, Thirumavalan said, “Governor C Vidyasagar Rao should play a key role in discharging his constitutional duty, particularly at this juncture, as state is going through a phase of political crisis and confusion.” 

When asked whether the Governor was remote-controlled by the Centre, the VCK leader said, “The Governor is aware of the fact that TN is witnessing an extraordinary situation, he cannot just keep monitoring the situation without finding a quick and lasting solution. Otherwise, it will send a wrong signal to the people that he is acting as per the instructions from the rulers at the Centre,” he said. 

“It has been several months since the Governor took additional charge of the state. The Centre should have nominated a person and appointed a permanent Governor with the President’s approval. I am at a loss to understand as to why it is being delayed.” 

On the recent political development and caretaker Chief Minister O Panneerselvam’s outburst, the VCK chief said, “If Panneerselvam is speaking out due to backroom maneuvering, people will easily understand it. But, now it is for Sasikala to prove all the accusations levelled by OPS are baseless.”

The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) has on Wednesday said that caretaker Chief Minister O Panneerselvam has reflected the conscience of the people. In a statement, PMK founder S Ramadoss said, “The present political scenario cannot be taken lightly and seen as an internal issue of the AIADMK. This is an issue in which the CM himself has been reportedly humiliated and as such it should be viewed as a state issue.” Though Sasikala, with no political background, has managed to secure AIADMK’s general secretary post, Ramadoss pointed out that the people of the state were against her taking over as the Chief Minister. “Panneerselvam’s outburst on Tuesday is a clear indication that he was continuously insulted by Sasikala and other MLAs,” he said. “To add fuel to fire, Panneerselvam said he was forced to resign from the post of CM and this exposed as to how Sasikala’s family made attempts to create confusion and take control of the AIADMK.”