Voices of support for Chief Minister loud in Kovai

The mood was nearly the same at Vazhapadi in Salem, where the cadre burst crackers and distributed sweets. “Loyalty to the ‘Two Leaves’ (symbol of AIADMK) is not because of money or other benefits. It is because of the love for MGR and Amma,” said 86-year-old R Rangammal, who runs a tea stall at Anamalai. She has been an AIADMK loyalist for over 40 years. 

A majority of the 1.5 crore cadre at the grass-root level were unhappy with the changes at the party’s top level over the last few months, according to some functionaries. While some groups have accepted the leadership of Jayalalithaa’s niece Deepa, a few other camps are sticking to the party hoping that confusions will get cleared and a good leader will emerge to lead the outfit out of void left by Jayalalithaa, said another functionary of the party in Salem. 

“We don’t know why the caretaker Chief Minister came out so late. We had the same doubts he had. He should have spoken about the issues when he was in power itself. But, it is better late than never,” says M Sivakumar (57) an autorickshaw driver. R Sasikumar (38), a vendor, was among the many cadre who wanted to quit the party. 

“Had Panneerselvam not spoken out, many partymen would have quit from the party, though we did not have any future plan. We cannot accept Sasikala or Deepa as they do not have any political experience. We accept Panneerselvam as he has been groomed by Amma and has been her loyalist,” he added. Meanwhile, former agriculture minister S Damodaran, former MLA and Erode district secretary of AIADMK R N Kittusamy extended support to Panneerselvam.