AIADMK coordinator and Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam on Wednesday justified his son and party functionary of the Theni unit of the Amma Peravai, P. Ravindranath Kumar, applying for ticket to contest in the coming Lok Sabha elections.
Before leaving for Madurai, Mr. Panneerselvam told reporters in Chennai that all primary members of the party had the right to apply for party ticket. “Accordingly, my son too has sought the nomination.”
Responding to criticism of rebel leader and founder of the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam T.T. V. Dhinakaran about Mr. Kumar’s decision to seek the ticket, Mr. Panneerselvam said, “Anyone with a flair for politics can enter the field. If accepted by people, he or she can survive.”
He said the reason behind his launch of ‘Dharmayudham’ two years ago was to ensure that one particular family, most members of which including Mr. Dhinakaran were expelled from the party, were not allowed to capture both the party and the government. The party’s founder M.G.Ramachandran and former Jayalalithaa had seen to it that the party was a “movement of workers.”
Mr. Panneerselvam’s position contradicted his stand in an interview with The Hindu two months ago. At that time, Mr. Panneerselvam, while answering questions on the issue of merger of the AMMK with the AIADMK, emphasised that hereafter, there was no question of a family running the affairs of the party.
“In a democratic way, any ordinary worker of the party can become Chief Minister, just as Panneerselvam or Edappadi Palaniswwami has done. The situation of allowing only the heir of a family for succession will never happen,” he said.
Pointing out that heirs of leaders of the party could come into politics and as individuals, they had the right to do, Mr. Panneerselvam, however, made it clear that no heir of any family would be permitted to bring both the party and the government under his or her control, as it would be an “anti-democratic act.”
