Barely two days after resigning from the post of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister to make way for AIADMK General Secretary VK Sasikala, O Panneerselvam today said that his predecessor J Jayalalithaa had asked him to succeed her.
Making a surprise visit to the memorial of Jayalalithaa in Chennai, Panneerselvam said he had gone there to “clear his conscience”.
Paneerselvam, who had submitted his resignation to the Governor on Sunday after Sasikala was elected as the Legislative party leader by AIADMK MlAs, said he was forced to resign from the post and would withdraw it if people, party men and MLAs wanted it.
The normally quiet and unassuming Man Friday of J Jayalalithaa chose to break his silence on the happenings in the party ever since the death of his mentor on December 5, saying he was being "insulted" by senior ministers and leaders who sought to "undermine" him after electing him the Chief Minister.
Before coming out in open against AIADMK leadership, Panneerselvam, or OPS as he is often called, made an unexpected visit to Jayalalithaa's 'Samadhi' and sat in meditation for about 40 minutes, creating a flutter in political circles.
Later, talking to journalists he narrated how attempts were made to force him to allow Sasikala's elevation as CM.
Panneerselvam said his main job after Jayalalithaa's death was to protect the image of the party and the government as left by the late chief minister, but attempts were made to "sabotage" his endeavours.
He said, on Sunday last, he was called to the Poes Garden residence of Jayalalithaa which is now occupied by Sasikala where senior party leaders, MLAs, Ministers and members of her family were present.
"I was called to the meeting about which I did not even know. I went to Chinamma (Sasikala) and they asked me to resign. They said I should resign to make Sasikala the CM. I asked them what's the necessity for an MLAs' meeting. They said both the positions of party general secretary and the CM should be with one person," he said.
"For two hours they tried to convince me. But I asked them whether it is fair to ask me to resign after having elected me the leader of the AIADMK legislature party which I did not want in the first place. Still, I tolerated all the insult just to maintain party discipline."
Pannerselvam said he wanted to go to Jayalalithaa's 'Samadhi' to "vent out everything that was in my mind" but was not allowed.
"At that stage, they forced me, saying you should follow party discipline. I resigned because I was forced to," he said.
"I want a CM who will protect the people of the state and the state, even if it is not OPS. But he should protect the image of the government that Jaya provided us. I will fight for it to the last even if I am alone," he said.
When asked if he could withdraw his resignation, Panneerselvam said,"Yes, if people of the state, and party cadres desire so, I will do it."
"Only a person who can protect the party (AIADMK) and run the government on the principles laid down by late J. Jayalalithaa should come at the helm (of Tamil Nadu government)," he said after ending his 40-minute meditation at Jayalalithaa's memorial.
“I am saying these facts in front of you to make things clear in public I will continue to struggle. I will take back my resignation if party workers and people ask me to," he added.
"I will fight for this even if I am alone," the normally softspoken Panneerselvam said.
Paneerselvam's revolt comes amid uncertainty over the swearing in of Sasikala as the Chief Minister.
He arrived at Jaya memorial around 9 pm at Marina beach. Clad in a white shirt and dhoti, and sporting his trademark holy ash and kumkum, he sat on the floor inside the burial site enclosure in a traditional meditating posture.
After sitting for nearly 40 minutes, he opened his eyes, wiped tears and prostrated as a mark of respect and then circumambulated the burial site. Panneerselvam arrived at the site around 9 PM and placed a wreath before sitting in meditation.
He had on Sunday tendered his resignation from the post of Chief Minister citing 'personal reasons' and setting the stage for takeover of Sasikala, who was elected as Legislature Party leader earlier that day.
Narrating the sequence of events since the last days of Jayalalithaa in Apollo hospital, Panneerselvam said the late chief minister's soul pushed him to say something which was why he was presenting himself before journalists.
He said almost 70 days after Jayalalithaa was in Apollo hospital Sasikala had discussion with him about how to run the party and the government if something untoward happened to Jayalalithaa.
Panneerselvam said he was distressed and asked her what was the need to discuss these issues. Sasikala, in fact, wanted party senior Madhusudhan as General Secretary to which he (Panneerselvam) was not agreeable.
Sasikala said he was nominated twice by Jayalalithaa as chief minister and that the party and the government should not be harmed. Then only I accepted it (the chief minister's post), he said.
After two or three days, Health minister Vijay Bhaskar came to me and said Divakaran, Sasikala's relative, had told him to convey that "you all have become ministers so we are all going back to our town. Let anything happen we are not bothered."
Panneerselvam said all senior ministers told him that Sasikala should be made General secretary, a post to which she was later elected by the party's general council.
"After that came the Vardha cyclone and I had worked hard to ensure the government machinery tackled the natural disaster effectively. I worked hard so that no blame should come to government that was running in Amma's name," he said.
The Chief Minister said a lot of "bad blood" had already been created. There was a staggering crisis in Chennai with four reservoirs almost empty. He said he went to Andra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and got 6 tmc feet of water released for Chennai.
Then came the "uprising" in Chennai and other parts of Tamil Nadu by students, youths and others over Jallikattu.
"I went to Delhi and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and overnight I got an ordinance cleared through home ministry, law ministry, environment ministry to ensure Jallikattu happened," he said.
He said it was historic occasion in India when in one day the Governor's address was made and an ordinance was introduced and passed.
The President's assent was also got quickly. Panneerselvam recalled that when he went to meet the Prime Minister, Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai and 50 MPs had also sought an appointment with Narendra Modi.
The PMO expressed surprise about the demand because the CM had also sought time and both were to discuss same issue. "I cried over my torment but I didn't get any redress," he said.
"Then the revenue minister Udayakumar said Sasikala should become CM. I told Sasikala that is it fair and just that a minister who is appointed by me should say that someone else should become chief minister. If at that time, the Governor asked me to prove majority what will happen. Then I was told that minister has been spoken to and told to correct himself," he said.
Another leader Sengottaiyan also gave a similar statement. Another minister Sellur Raju condemned Udayakumar's statement but went to Madurai the same day and made a similar statement.
Then the chief minister said he met his cabinet colleagues and told them that the party's senior ministers should play a responsible role.
"In public life, one has to tolerate insult. I also adopted patience because I felt the party and the government should not suffer because of my actions," he said.
It is in these circumstances, the legislature party meeting was called on Sunday about which I had no idea, he said.
Earlier in the day, suspense mounted over the swearing-in of Sasikala as Chief Minister with the Governor C Vidyasagar Rao deferring his plans to go to Chennai, as charges and counter-charges flew thick and fast between AIADMK and rebel leaders over the death of J Jayalalithaa.
In the wake of uncertainty over Governor Vidyasagar Rao's plans, the AIADMK asserted it was the constitutional obligation of the Governor to swear in Sasikala as Chief Minister and that there is no ground for stopping it.
Rao, who is in Mumbai, has no plans to go to Chennai as of now, Raj Bhavan sources in Mumbai said, indicating that he could take a decision tomorrow. Rao, who is Maharashtra governor, is holding additional charge of Tamil Nadu.
With the Supreme Court expected to deliver its verdict in the disproportionate assets case against Sasikala and others next week, political uncertainty grew as opposition parties attacked the move to elevate her as chief minister and the AIADMK came out in strong defence of her.
On a day of hectic activities, P H Pandian, a former Speaker of state Assembly, and his son Manoj, a party functionary, stoutly opposed Sasikala being made the chief minister and alleged foul play in the death of Jayalalithaa who was "pushed" at her Poes Garden home during a quarrel that led to her hospitalisation on September 22.
The AIADMK fielded two of its top leaders Panruti Ramachandran and K A Sengottaiyan at a press conference where they rejected Pandian's allegations and dubbed him as a "betrayer" who was causing "confusion."
"General Secretary in-charge can be appointed," Ramachandran asserted, stating that Sasikala's elevation was in compliance with party rules and that it was valid.
"The constitutional obligation of the Governor is to swear in Sasikala. There is no ground for stopping it. Nobody can stop it," Ramachandran, who was a minister in the first MGR cabinet, said.
Asked about a PIL opposing swearing in of Sasikala as chief minister, he said the court can dismiss the petition, saying it cannot interfere in the Governor's duty.
The press conference at the party headquarters was called to dispel rumours and speculation about Jayalalithaa's death, especially in the wake of media interaction of the Pandians.
Pandian claimed that Sasikala's elevation was against party norms, saying she does not have the locus standi to either be the party chief or Chief Minister.
"Sasikala does not deserve to be either the party supremo or the Chief Minister," Pandian told reporters, two days after Sasikala was elected AIADMK Legislature Party leader, paving the way for her becoming the chief minister.
Pandian claimed that within 20 days after the demise of Jayalalithaa on December 5, party leaders were "made to say" that they wanted Sasikala to be the party chief.
