Chennai, March 1- In what could be construed as a mockery of sorts, over 200 activists belonging to Samajwadi Party, Janata Dal-United, the BJP and the Congress from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Preadesh and Gujarat joined the AIADMK in the presence of party general secretary and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.
The function was held at the AIADMK headquarters in Chennai on February 27. The event was an initiative of AIADMK Rajya Sabha Parliamentary party leader Dr V. Maithreyan.
Those who joined the AIADMK include Uttar Pradesh JD-U general secretary Rakesh Kumar, NCP leader Yogendra Kumar Pandey, Samajwadi Party Muzaffarnagar district secretary Bhopal Shaini and UPCC member Sanjay Shaini.
Welcoming them to the AIADMK, Jayalalithaa said a bright future awaited them and wished them good luck.
Later, she presented them with AIADMK membership cards. The new entrants to the AIADMK include over a dozen women political activists from these parties.
Political cadres switching from one party to another is not a new thing in Tamil Nadu. But the latest one is seen as a gimmick and mockery by political observers in the state.
“Jayalalithaa, who has national ambitions, wants to prove to the whole of India that she can break any political party in the country. To prove her credentials, she is engineering splits. This is a comedy and the rest of India is laughing at us,” said political observer and writer Gnani Sankaran in a telephonic conversation with the Indiatoday.in.
Another political observer said these sort of attempts to create a pan-India character or flavour to the AIADMK will only invite ridicule and laugh from masses and media across the country.
“The AIADMK is only a regional political party though it has All India in its name. This move will not enhance Jayalalithaa’s image in any way. It can only cripple her profile and make her to stand like a comedian in the national politics. But the tragedy is Jayalalithaa who is nurturing prime ministerial ambitious does not understood the basics of pan-India politics,” said another analyst on conditions of anonymity.
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) was launched by the late M. G. Ramachandran or MGR, a matinee idol in 1972 after splitting away from the DMK.
Originally, it was called as Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or the ADMK. It was in 1976 at his party’s general council, held in Coimbatore during the Emergency, that MGR changed the name and added All India after rumours were floated that then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was planning to ban regional parties.
It was in this conference that MGR directed his cadres to have tattoos of the party’s symbol – two leaves- on their hands.
-Indiatoday
