Chennai: Amid ongoing debate on who is the next Chief Minister for 2021 Assembly polls and a group of Ministers holding a series of parleys with both Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, the ruling AIADMK today urged the party functionaries not to air their views to the media without the consent of the party high command.
In a joint statement after a nearly four hour long meetings the Group of Ministers had twice with them, Party Coordinator O Panneerselvam and Co-Coordinator Palaniswami urged the party leaders to strictly avoid airing their views in the media and warned of action against those violating the party diktat.
The joint statement seeks to put an end to the week long debate triggered by a couple of Ministers causing ripples within the AIADMK and the cadres.
“We are not going to achieve anything by airing the views. Hence, party functioanries, during media debates should talk only about the ruling AIADMK’s achievements and the welfare schemes launched by it by functioning as a role model for other States”, they said. ‘Tomorrow is ours, Victory is ours’, they added.
Apparently referring to the debate on who would be the next Chief Minister, they said the high command would follow due democratic process, will hold detailed consultations and take important and good policy decisions and the stand on alliance that would reflect the sentiments of the party cadres, on the path shown
by Jayalalithaa.
They also appealed to the party cadres to work unitedly and not to give room for “even a ripple” (over the CM candidate for the next polls) and any chance for those trying to defeat us.
They also told the party cadres to devote their attention only in serving the people and in party works, as their efforts were vital in taking the AIADMK to the pinnacle of victory.
Noting that the AIADMK regime has been functioning well to realise the dreams of late leaders, Party Founder MGR and J Jayalalithaa, they said “like how we guided the party and the government during the last four years that won accolades from others, it was time to continue it in times to come to achieve continuous success.”
Pointing out the views aired by some party office-bearers without any basis during the last few days has become a matter of debate, they said such a situation should not occur again.
Like how they functioned like Military control under Jayalalithaa, party cadres and office-bearers should remain the same by abiding by the decisions of the high command.
Earlier, a group of more than Ministers including D Jayakumar, S P Velumani, P Thangamani and C Ve Shanmugam, besides senior leader and RS member R Vaithilingam and others held an âunscheduled meetingâ with Panneerselvam for over an hour at the latterâs residence.
The meeting assumed significance in view of the ongoing debate within the party on who should be the CM choice in the next polls and a poster, projecting Panneerselvam as the next CM being put up by his supporters at Kenjampatti village in his native Theni district.
However, the posters were removed on the advice of the Deputy Chief Minister. Soon after the Independence Day event was over, the Ministers first went into a huddle at the State Secretariat before driving down to the residence of Panneerselvam and later to Palaniswami’s house, which was followed by another round of separate parleys with after which the joint statement was issued seeking to put an end to the debate on the Chief Minister candidate issue.