Chennai (Tamil Nadu): Making a measured move, former chief minister J Jayalalithaa's confidante V K Sasikala is planning to take part in the Guru Pooja of U Muthuramalingam, an icon of the OBC Thevar community, at Pasumpon village on October 29. Permission has been sought on her behalf from the Ramanathapuram district administration to attend the annual event, a celebration of the dominant Thevar community, which is considered a captive vote bank of the AIADMK.
Political leaders of all hues pay their respects at the samadhi of Muthuramalingam, who led the Forward Bloc in Tamil Nadu, has become an icon of the Thevar community. The birth and death anniversary of the late leader falls on October 30. Hailing from the community, Sasikala, the expelled general secretary of the AIADMK, registering her presence at Pasumpon is politically significant since she is making efforts to wrest control of the party.
Every year, the state police remain on tenterhooks as caste tensions erupt during the event in the southern districts. This year Muthuramalingam's 114th birthday anniversary will be celebrated for three days in Pasumpon near Kamudhi from October 28. Chief Minister MK Stalin is scheduled to pay tributes on October 30.
Interestingly, Jayalalithaa, the then Chief Minister had donated golden 'kavach' (armour) for the statue of Muthuramalingam in 2014 and the Guru Pooja is held as a state celebration.
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MGR youth wing functionaries of the AIADMK submitted a petition to the Ramanathapuram collector seeking permission for Sasikala to attend the function. "V K Sasikala will arrive in Ramanathapuram on October 29 at around 10.30 am to the memorial to pay floral tributes. So, we have sought permission for the entry of her vehicle and enough security," the petition said.
On the one hand, this move has set the cat among the pigeons. Her visit to the memorial is considered to be an attempt to recapture the captive vote bank in the southern districts in her quest to wrest the reins of the AIADMK, which does not have any leader of the stature from the community. Earlier, Sasikala used to accompany Jayalalithaa during her visits to Pasumpon. And this provided an aura and enhanced clout within the community.
AIADMK spokesperson Sivasankari, while speaking to ETV Bharat, said "we never complained that Sasikala should not visit the memorial. What we want is that she should not use the party flag and speak about AIADMK leaders. Well, Sasikala belongs to the community, but she is not a person who commands the support of the community. The party will not lose its vote bank in the southern districts, because AIADMK is not a caste-based party and it has functionaries from all communities."
Meanwhile, tension prevailed in Tirunelveli as workers of Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, a splinter group of the AIADMK led by Sasikala's nephew TTV Dhinakaran, tried to burn an effigy of former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswamy. This was to protest EPS 'spreading false news about Sasikala'. However, the police foiled their plans.
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