The former AIADMK Minister K.P. Munusamy has appealed to party general secretary V.K. Sasikala to shun her relatives to earn the love and trust of the cadre.
A prominent leader in the western region, Mr. Munusamy recently slammed V. Divakaran, Ms. Sasikala’s brother, for his statements that their family was instrumental in keeping the AIADMK united.
The former Minister addressed a press meet at Kaveripattinam on Wednesday, one week after his diatribe against Mr. Divakaran. He criticised N. Natarajan, husband of Ms. Sasikala, and rebutted his claims. He also hit out against Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M. Thambi Durai for undermining the authority of the Chief Minister.
Slamming Mr. Natarajan for his purported statements that he and his family had carried Jayalalithaa for 33 years on its shoulders and that his family was the party, Mr. Munusamy said the late Chief Minister had the same contempt for Mr. Natarajan that she had reserved for the DMK. Mr. Natarajan had been ousted from the party. “The AIADMK that had 17 lakh members when Amma took over, grew to have a cadre base of 1.50 crore,” Mr. Munusamy said. The party was built by the lowest cadre and belonged to each one of the 1.50 crore cadre. “It is not Mr. Natarajan family’s heirloom,” Mr. Munusamy said.
He slammed Mr. Thambi Durai for issuing a release requesting Ms. Sasikala to take over as the Chief Minister. It lacked political decorum and deliberately watered down the position of Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam. “On whose authority does an MP make such a demand, when it is the MLAs who could decide on the CM?”
According to Mr. Munusamy, MGR had consciously kept his relatives away from the party and when he died he left it with the cadre, and so did Jayalalithaa. “About 2,500 office-bearers gathered to appoint Ms. Sasikala as general secretary while the remaining 1.49 crore cadre watched silently. If Ms. Sasikala has to win their love and trust, she will have to shun her relatives,” Mr. Munusamy added.
