»Ahead of Sasikala s Arrival, AIADMK Tells Cadre to Stay United, Pitches for EPS as Chief Ministerial Pick
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Ahead of Sasikala s Arrival, AIADMK Tells Cadre to Stay United, Pitches for EPS as Chief Ministerial Pick
File photo of Sasikala Natarajan.
The Sasikala camp had submitted a petition seeking permission for a rally with over 5,000 people in the city to welcome its leader but it was denied by state police.
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Ahead of VK Sasikala’s arrival in Chennai, the AIADMK on Saturday held a meeting at the party’s headquarters to urge the cadre to remain united and fight the state elections. The meeting headed by coordinator O Panneerselvam and joint coordinator Edappadi Palaniswami was to appeal to party members to remain united and focus on ensuring a third consecutive victory. The message was loud and clear that Edapaddi Palaniswami is AIADMK’s chief ministerial candidate for 2021.
The Madras high court on Thursday said personality cults are not great for a republic or a country’s Constitution while hearing a case on converting late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s Veda Nilayam residence in Chennai into a memorial.
Chief justice Sanjib Banerjee and justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy were hearing a petition filed by Jayalalithaa’s legal heir and nephew J Deepak challenging notification for acquiring her aunt s house to convert it into a memorial and the award passed by the Land Acquisition Officer. The Veda Nilayam premises is still out of bounds for the public in view of a Madras High Court order and the government has moved an appeal challenging the single judge s interim order.
The court went on to add that personality cults are “not great for a republic or espoused in Constitution”. However, the Chief Justice and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy were quick to acknowledge that even if they felt the decision was not in good taste, there were limitations of jurisdiction.
State govt. told to file counter affidavit to a writ petition filed by J. Deepak
The Madras High Court on Thursday directed the State government to file its counter affidavit to a writ petition filed by former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s nephew J. Deepak challenging the validity of Tamil Nadu Puratchi Thalaivi Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Memorial Foundation Act of 2020, enacted for converting her residence, ‘Veda Nilayam’, into a memorial.
Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy agreed with Advocate-General Vijay Narayan that the petitioner may not have, prima facie, made out strong grounds for declaring the law invalid. However, they questioned as to how many memorials the government would keep establishing by acquiring private buildings and occupying public spaces.
Over the past two weeks, the current AIADMK leadership which was once servile at the feet of VK Sasikala before her incarceration four years ago showed the first open signs that it was preparing to fight off a legacy claim.
Just a few days after unveiling the phoenix-themed memorial for J Jayalalithaa along the breezy shores of the Marina in Chennai, Edappadi K Palaniswami chose to seal it off. Right now, entry is barricaded with a sign saying it’s closed for public visits. Apparently, the government is enabling ongoing works at the monument.
Even to the half-initiated, this was clearly to stop VK Sasikala from making a dramatic appearance. Of the few remembered events in post-Jayalalithaa political history, the vow Sasikala made at the grave of her companion stands out even now. In that context, Palaniswami’s move to ward off a repeat clearly indicates the scuffle for legacy is far from over.