Days after the simmering differences in the AIADMK over the 2021 Chief Ministerial candidate became public, party coordinator O. Panneerselvam on Sunday appealed to party cadre to remain loyal to the party than to individuals.
The Deputy Chief Minister, who arrived in Theni two days ago, met about 50 AIADMK functionaries at his farmhouse on Sunday. His elder son and Theni MP O.P. Raveendranath Kumar and MLA S.T.K. Jakkaiyan were among those present at the interaction.
According to a reliable source, addressing the party functionaries, he said that they should all devise strategies from now on so that the AIADMK emerged victorious in the 2021 Assembly election. He felt that since the government had fulfilled its promises as charted by the late leader Jayalalithaa, the party could win hands down.
“If the wishes of our Amma must continue, we have to forget and forgive whatever happened to us [individually] in the past and come together to make the party continue to rule the State,” he said.
Bastion of ‘Two Leaves’
He also said that the district (Theni) had been very close to the AIADMK founder M. G. Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa, so much so, that it had been described as the bastion of ‘Two Leaves’. Hence, the party cadre and functionaries should make every district across Tamil Nadu like Theni in the ensuing election.
Without mentioning any names, Mr. Panneerselvam said that only those loyal to the party would get tickets. Hence, every worker should be loyal to the party and not to any individual, including himself, he underlined.
