Panneerselvam camp swells; Sasikala sees her 'struggle' as Jayalalithaa's

Now, 7 MLAs, 4 MPs support Panneerselvam; Sasikala camp to start 'new kind' of protests from Sunday

Tamil Nadu’s caretaker chief minister, O Panneerselvam, on Saturday received support from K Pandiarajan, the state’s education minister, and C Ponnaiyan, a senior All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader, as the party’s general secretary Sasikala met MLAs at a private resort near Chennai to further her claim to the chief minister’s post.

The day began with two AIADMK Lok Sabha members, Ashok Kumar and Sundaram, meeting Panneerselvam. Kumar said more party MPs would support Panneerselvam. Till now, 7 MLAs and 4 MPs have extended support to Panneerselvam. The party has 134 MLAs and 37 members in the Lok Sabha. Rajya Sabha MP V Maitreyan is also in the Panneerselvam camp.

Later in the day, Pandiarajan, who was earlier supporting Sasikala, met the chief minister. “Voters and the public are supporting Panneerselvam, and he is the leader identified by the late Jayalalithaa,’’ Pandiarajan told reporters. “The only way to uphold Jayalalithaa's legacy is to strengthen his hands. When the Assembly resumes you will see all legislators will support him,’’ he added.

Ponnaiyan said MLAs represented the people and they should reflect and the people's wish. There was a need for good leadership in the party and the state, which Panneerselvam could provide, he added.

Ever since Panneerselvam broke his silence on Tuesday night, saying he was forced to resign from the chief minister's post, he has been opposing Sasikala. On Saturday, he started a signature campaign to convert Veda Nilayam, Jayalalithaa’s house where Sasikala lives, into a memorial.

In the recent interaction with media, Sasikala said that AIADMK MLAs are united and "I am satisfied with their mindset". Alleging that the Governor's delay is an attempt to divide the party, She informed, her camp would resort to new kind of protests from Sunday. When asked whether she will take any legal action, Sasikala said, "wait and watch." 

Earlier, Sasikala, on her part, said the patience of her party could not be tested further and sought an appointment with Governor C Vidyasagar Rao to present her band of MLAs to him.

"After the death of MGR, Jayalalithaa had to struggle to make AIADMK the third largest party in the country. Now, this responsibility is on my shoulders," she said. "Panneerselvam has resigned from his post and this was accepted by the governor a week ago,” she added.

"Taking the urgency of the situation at hand, I would like to seek an appointment with Your Excellency by today, with all MLAs who extend their support to me, regarding the further course of action to form the government," Sasikala said in her letter to Rao. "I believe Your Excellency will act immediately to save the sovereignty of the Constitution, democracy and the interest of the state," the letter added.

In a striking development, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy, who is supporting Sasikala's claim to become the Chief Minister, is also going to meet Governor Vidyasagar Rao.

Standing with O Panneerselvam

• Two Lok Sabha members Ashok Kumar and Sundaram extended their support
• Rajya Sabha member V Maitreyan is in Panneerselvam’s camp
• K Pandiarajan, Tamil Nadu’s education minister,  who was supporting Sasikala earlier, joined the group
• Sasikala, on her part, sought an appointment with Governor C Vidyasagar Rao to present her band of MLAs to him