The acquittal of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary Jayalalithaa by the Karnataka High Court in the disproportionate assets case triggered wild jubilation across the district on Monday with the ruling party cadres celebrating the occasion with sweets and crackers amidst mild drizzle.
As the news on their party supremo’s acquittal broke shortly after 11 a.m., the AIADMK’s party office at Tirunelveli Junction submerged in sloganeering with over 200 cadres raised slogans praising Ms. Jayalalithaa. They said the case “fabricated” by those who could not face her in the electoral field had been crushed with the mercy of the Almighty and the party founder M.G. Ramachandran.
Led by party’s youth wing secretary M. Harihara Sivashankar, the cadres burst crackers and distributed sweets to the public.
Like wildfire, the celebrations engulfed the entire the city and the district within a few minutes with the cadres distributing sweets and bursting crackers at every corner. Almost all major roads across the district were overflowing with the AIADMK cadres holding party flags and the portraits of Ms. Jayalalithaa and raising slogans in support of her.
A group of party cadres performed ‘milk abhishekam’ to the statue of MGR at Kokkirakulam.
When a group of AIADMK cadres celebrated the occasion with sweets and crackers in front of Palayamkottai panchayat union office, they also stopped the Collector’s car and distributed sweets to the occupants even as Collector M. Karunakaran was returning home around 1.30 p.m. from the Collectorate after participating in the weekly grievance day meet.
In the celebrations at Ambasamudram, MLA Esakki Subbiah distributed sweets to the cadres and the passers-by even as the functionaries burst crackers and raised slogans hailing Ms. Jayalalithaa.
Tuticorin
The cadres distributed sweets to the public near Tuticorin old bus stand and hailed Ms. Jayalalithaa. Mayor A.P.R. Anthony Grace along with the cadres burst crackers in spite of rain.
Hailing the verdict, a chenda melam troupe played music. Though Tourism Minister S.P. Shanmuganathan, who is also district secretary of the party and the Tuticorin MLA S.T. Chellapandian were not available here, their supporters joined the celebration. Crackers were burst in many parts of the district, including Kovilpatti and Tiruchendur.
Nagercoil
The party members assembled in front of the party office at Court Road in Nagercoil, burst crackers, and distributed sweets to the public.
Cadres from various wings of the party expressed their joy by dancing and raising slogans against the DMK chief M. Karunanidhi and its treasurer M.K. Stalin.
As the district secretary and former minister N. Dhalavai Sundaram is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Chennai, Presidium president Sadasivam led the celebrations at the party office. Chairman of the Kanyakumari District Milk Producers’ Cooperative Union S.A. Asokan burst crackers near Veppamudu junction and distributed sweets to the general public.
The cadres distributed sweets to the travelling public at the Vadaseri and Anna bus stands in Nagercoil.
Two party MLAs K.T. Pachaimal (Kanyakumari) and Nanjil A. Murugesan (Nagercoil) are away in Chennai.
