Ruling camp, AMMK leaders pay homage

Earlier in the day, several AIADMK supporters undertook a silent rally from Anna Salai to the beach. The ruling party then took a pledge that it would seek to secure a grand victory in the forthcoming bypolls to the 20 vacant assembly seats and the Lok Sabha elections scheduled next year. Panneerselvam administered the pledge to party cadre, which was repeated by Palaniswami and others.

Heaping praises on Jayalalithaa for her political acumen and wisdom, party leaders recalled the various electoral victories achieved by it and said all the credit should go to her.

“We will replicate her hard work and tread the path laid down by her in the forthcoming bypolls and Lok Sabha elections,” Panneerselvam said, adding that the party will secure a grand victory in the polls and dedicate it to ‘Amma’.

AMMK leader TTV Dhinakaran also took out a silent procession with his close aides and supporters. They hailed Jayalalithaa as a revolutionary leader who gave freebies to improve the lives of people. Taking a vow to stick to Jayalalithaa’s ideology, the AMMK cadre claimed that they would protect the rights of Tamil Nadu. They observed a two-minute silence in memory of the late leader.

Elsewhere at Vaniyambadi in Vellore district, party cadre conducted a special pooja using an elephant.

The jumbo placed a garland on a small coffee table kept before a huge hoarding. The spectacle was witnessed by a sizeable number of supporters who hailed from Vaniyambadi and surrounding areas.

It was a tightly-packed day for the AIADMK leaders on Wednesday. After paying homage to Jayalalithaa, they attended a high-level meeting comprising party MPs and decided to stall the parliament during the upcoming winter session. The proposed construction of Mekedatu dam across Cauvery river and the party works ahead of the Lok Sabha polls were discussed in the meeting.

The party seniors also deliberated on various issues affecting the State, including Sterlite copper plant and Cyclone Gaja. Meanwhile the State Assembly will convene for a special session on Thursday to discuss the Mekedatu issue.