AIADMK mocks AMMK for poll debacle, party puts up brave face

The AIADMK on Monday mocked rival TTV Dhinakaran-led Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam for its poll drubbing and asserted that it cannot pose a challenge to the ruling party.

The AIADMK took potshots at Dhinakaran for what it called his "tall talk," all along, claiming that 1.5 crore party workers were on his side and that AMMK nominees would post impressive poll victories.

AIADMK organ "Namadhu Puratchi Thalaivi Amma," in a write up sarcastically said though Dhinakaran's nominees lost their deposits in the polls, their boastful claims have not stopped.

Listing out the names of leaders who unsuccesfully tried to challenge AIADMK in the past, including veteran leader R M Veerappan, the daily said " the AMMK has also been decimated" in a similar fashion.

The ruling party newspaper said Dhinakaran and the AMMK should understand that they can neither pose a challenge to the AIADMK nor "lead" their party, which was nurtured by stalwarts, founder M G Ramachandran and former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

Dhinakaran fielded his nominees as independents in the recently held Lok Sabha election and bypolls to 22 Assembly constituencies.

Though his nominees garnered only about five per cent votes cumulatively and lost their deposits, they preempted the chances of AIADMK's victory in Parliamentary constituencies like Chidambaram and Ramanathapuram and Assembly seats like Andipatti.

The AMMK's daily "Dr Namadhu MGR," said the poll debacle was not a "failure, but a stepping stone for success."
Stressing that it won over 22 lakh votes in the Lok Sabha polls, the party mouthpiece said "the media and other parties cannot underestimate us."
Reaffirming their loyalty to Dhinakaran, the party said both successes and failures are usual in elections and cautioned its workes against switching to the AIADMK, calling it a camp of "betrayers."
After the AIADMK factions led by O Panneerselvam and K Palaniswami came together in August 2017 easing out Dhinakaran and his relatives from the AIADMK, the rival leader had been claiming that the party workers were with him and that AMMK led by him represented the "true AIADMK."