AIADMK diktat to district units on support to Sasikala

However, to ensure that problems did not arise in districts where state Ministers were not secretaries, signed statements were taken from district functionaries. 

A senior party leader on the condition of anonymity said that while all MLAs, MPs and party functionaries support the move to anoint Sasikala as the next general secretary, the public and the rank and file of the party were not enthused. 

“It is to overcome this, that ‘orders’ have been issued to ensure support from the districts,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Tiruvannamalai South District advisory meeting slated to be held in a day or two was postponed after the Jayalalithaa Peravai advisory meet at Arani convened to drum up support for Sasikala, saw her supporters and opponents clashing openly in the presence of Ministers Sevvur S Ramachandran, RB Udayakumar and Kadambur S Raju on Thursday. “We hoped that M Thambidurai (Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker) would opt for this post as this would have solved many problems,” said RK Vallavaraj, an AIADMK cadre from Tiruvannamalai. Reliable sources revealed that it was because of this impasse that the date of the party’s general council had not been finalised. Another factor that mattered was the postponement of the DMK general council meet scheduled for December 20 following  party president M Karunanidhi’s continued ill health. The party treasurer MK Stalin is expected to be made DMK’s working president at this meet. 

Meanwhile on Saturday, AIADMK cadre were brought to Poes Garden in buses to support Sasikala’s name for the top party post. 

The sudden rush of cadre resulted in traffic chaos in the area. The partymen were asked to walk up to late CM J Jayalalithaa’s residence Veda Nilayam. The assembled cadre raised slogans in support of Sasikala and impressed upon her to lead the party. Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai was present there. Sasikala appeared on the portico of the house and listened to them with folded hands and went inside.