After the crucial AIADMK Executive Committee meet, which took place in Chennai on Thursday, Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam told the media that the party should to sustain the success achieved by late Chief Minister and AIADMK General Secretary J Jayalalithaa.
Speaking to media persons after the meeting at the AIADMK headquarters on Avvai Shanmugam Salai, O Panneerselvam said, “The Executive Committee meeting of the party took place under the leadership of E Madhusudhanan. We discussed various political works and party works. We discussed on how to win thumping victories in future elections. We also had a good joint discussion on the path that Amma has shown us. When Amma was General Secretary for 28- 29 years, she worked hard and helped the party grow for the upkeep of the vision of Puratchi Thalaivar (MG Ramachandran). We should work together in such a way that we can sustain the victory that Amma has given us. That's the brief of what I told the cadre.”
A year after the merger between the Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami and OPS factions, reports of low cadre numbers have been doing the rounds.
Responding to this, he said, “In the history of political parties in Tamil Nadu, when the cadre recruitment first began, within six months, 1,22,00,000 members joined our party.”
However, he refused to respond to whether he told senior lawmakers from the party to be open to contesting Lok Sabha elections next year.
One of the conditions of the merger between the warring factions had been the constitution of a Steering Committee, a demand put forth by OPS. The leader said this would be constituted “when the time comes”.
Responding to questions on an alliance and one with the BJP in particular, he said, “The parties that come with us, whether they are regional or national, we will come together with them and face elections. We will inform during election time.”
The leader also put forth a demand for the Bharat Ratna to be awarded to Jayalalithaa, former CM CN Annadurai and rationalist thinker Periyar.