Senior state ministers want All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to be the party’s Prime Ministerial candidate in the next Lok Sabha Parliamentary election “to fill the vacuum of a strong leadership having firm policies in the Centre.”
At a consultative meeting organised by the party to discuss party works and developmental works in Madurai Parliamentary Constituency here on Wednesday, five State Ministers, including senior party leader, O. Pannerselvam, addressed the cadres asking them to keep prepared for the Lok Sabha election which “may come next month or the month after.”
Mr. Pannerselvam said Ms. Jayalalithaa took over the leadership of AIADMK to meet the objectives of party founder M.G. Ramachandran, to help the people of Tamil Nadu and to drive away “anti-people” Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and its leadership from politics. “She has done it successfully for 12 years (by keeping DMK off power in State) and helped the party cadre-base grow from 18 lakh to 1.5 crore,” he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Time has come for Amma (Ms. Jayalalithaa) to lead the country as the national parties do not have a strong leadership, firm and long-lasting policies (on various fronts). Even the Bharatiya Janata Party senior leader L.K. Advani, had said that a non-Congress, non-BJP leader could form the next Government in the Centre,” he said.
One of the resolutions of the meeting said only Ms. Jayalalithaa could protect the country, “which is afflicted by violence, terrorism, bomb threats and steep price rise.” “We have to work hard to fetch the victory in the Parliamentary election to take her to the Red Fort (in New Delhi) from St. George Fort (in Chennai),” the resolution said. The Minister for Power, R. Viswanathan, said the party leaders had come to Madurai to discuss the issues only on the direction of the Chief Minister.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
The leaders stressed that the cadres should focus on first time voters who, they said, were ready to vote for the AIADMK for the slew of freebies given by the AIADMK Government to the school students – text books, notebooks, bus pass, bicycle, laptops and incentives among others.
The leaders also criticised Union Minister, M.K. Alagiri for his prediction of wiping out of AIADMK after the 2011 Assembly Election. “His party (DMK) has been ignored by the people. He is still going around with the tag of MP and Union Minister. He will lose them in the next election,” Mr. Pannerselvam said.
Other resolutions dealt with 51 per cent Foreign Direct Investment in retail trade, recent steep increase in diesel price and efforts of AIADMK to retrieve Katchatheevu to protect the interests of Tamil Nadu fishermen.
Ministers, K.P. Munusamy (Local Administration), R. Vaithiyalingam (Housing) and K. Raju (Cooperatives), MLAs, former Ministers and elected representatives were present.