The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Jayalalithaa directs party workers to protest against budget

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 02, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Jayalalithaa directs party workers to protest against budget

S. Dorairaj

AIADMK plans State-wide meetings

Jayalalithaa

CHENNAI: All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary Jayalalithaa has directed party activists to hold public meetings throughout the State, to protest against the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Government's budget for 2006-07 and its decision to "dump" the farmer's security scheme.

The move comes close on the heels of the AIADMK merging some district units, shuffling 24 district secretaries, a few State office-bearers and many front organisation functionaries. One of the reasons attributed to Ms. Jayalalithaa's decision is that through the changes, she wants to reiterate that she keeps a tight rein on the party, though it suffered a setback in the Assembly elections.

Ms. Jayalalithaa has also made it clear that she does not want to entrust the party affairs to those who failed to put up a better performance in the elections. According to AIADMK sources, the leadership may have thought that a shake-up is essential to remove the "local incumbency factor," which also contributed to its defeat.

The reshuffle also reveals the AIADMK leadership's intention to revamp the party organisation, particularly when local body elections are due in October. Though it is a formidable task in view of the Democratic People's Alliance remaining intact, improving its performance in the local body elections is crucial for the AIADMK to intensify its political campaign against the DMK Government, party leaders say.

Some district secretaries of the party who have been sacked are former Ministers K. Pandurangan, V. Somasundaram, P.C. Ramasamy, Vijayalakshmi Palanichamy and P.V. Damotharan. Prominent among those rehabilitated is S. Semmalai, who has become the organising secretary. He has been rewarded for his role in bringing several activists belonging to other parties to the AIADMK fold, according to a source.

The party's propaganda secretary O.S. Manian has been removed from the post and appointed as the secretary of the unified Nagapattinam district. Former MLA Edapadi K. Palanisamy has replaced him.

Former MLA K. Subbu has become the advisor of the AIADMK Legislature committee and former Speaker P.H. Pandian has been appointed chief of the party's minorities welfare wing.

In an important shuffle, former treasurer Dindigul C. Srinivasan has been replaced by Rajya Sabha Member T.T.V. Dinakaran. He has assumed the role of secretary of the unified Dindigul district. Being a trusted lieutenant of Ms. Jayalalithaa and a close relative of Sasikala, Mr. Dinakaran is expected to be the party general secretary's direct representative in the party headquarters, AIADMK sources say. "We are not opposed to frequent changes in the organisation. All that we want is that only those who endear themselves to people at grassroots level should be appointed as party functionaries, more particularly when we are going to face the DPA's tough challenge in the local body polls," an AIADMK veteran said.

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