CHENNAI: Former chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s close aide V K Sasikala on Thursday said the AIADMK had never faced so many poll debacles in its five-decade existence and urged cadres to take a pledge on their leader’s birthday to stand united to strengthen the party.
Meanwhile, AIADMK leaders O Panneerselvam and Edappadi K Palaniswami observed Jayalalitha’s birth anniversary at the AIADMK headquarters in Chennai by garlanding her statue and cutting a cake.
Speaking at an event organised to celebrate her friend’s 74th birth anniversary at MGR’s Ramavaram Gardens in the city, Sasikala said the electoral setbacks to the party were a result of some leaders “forgetting who helped them rise up the ladder”. If this reality of togetherness was understood, then the party would succeed in future. “Don’t get disheartened, be confident. Let us embark on our journey keeping in mind how we overcame trials,” Sasikala said.
Having spent half her life with Jayalalithaa, Sasikala said she too had a role in the numerous achievements of Jayalalithaa. That includes bringing 69% reservation into the ninth schedule of the Constitution, she said.
