New Party, New Symbol… We Will Contest Under the Coconut Grove Symbol: Sasikala Announces

Sasikala has announced that the party she has launched will be named “All India Puratchi Thalaivar Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam” and that it will contest the upcoming Assembly elections under the Coconut Grove symbol.

Speaking to reporters at her residence in Chennai’s Poes Garden, Sasikala said that she had decided to take this step in order to remove what she described as the “evil force” of the DMK from power. She recalled that during M.G. Ramachandran’s tenure as Chief Minister, several welfare schemes were implemented for the poor. Similarly, J. Jayalalithaa had introduced a range of welfare programmes and delivered an effective administration.

She alleged that after Jayalalithaa’s demise, the DMK government has been “squeezing and exploiting” the people. Sasikala said that she had already announced her decision to launch a political party on February 24, Jayalalithaa’s birth anniversary. On that day, she had only introduced the party flag.

She further said that when M.G. Ramachandran was expelled from the DMK, he took charge of the AIADMK, which had been registered earlier by a party worker. In a similar manner, she said she has now joined and taken charge of a party that had been started by one of her supporters.

The party has been named “All India Puratchi Thalaivar Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam.” Sasikala stated that the party will contest the upcoming elections in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry under the Coconut Grove symbol.

She alleged that there is no safety in Tamil Nadu today for anyone, from small children to the elderly, and claimed that incidents of people attacking one another have increased. Sasikala said that during her interactions with the public, she sensed widespread dissatisfaction among people toward the DMK government.

“We have faith in the people. They will certainly support us. They know that we have always stood with them and will continue to do so,” she said, adding that people understand justice and fairness and will not betray those who stand by them.

Referring to the party symbol, Sasikala said it features four coconut trees, which, according to her, represents unity. “We will not exclude anyone. We will work in coordination with everyone,” she added.

She also referred to the Tamil proverb “A single tree cannot make a grove,” saying it is one of her favourite sayings. In line with that principle, she said the party would face the elections through alliances with parties that share similar ideological positions.

Sasikala also said that whether Edappadi K. Palaniswami has succeeded or not due to the launch of her party would be known only after the election results. “The people’s verdict is the ultimate verdict,” she said.

It may be recalled that on February 24, Jayalalithaa’s birth anniversary, Sasikala had organised a conference in Kamuthi. During the event, she listed what she described as the failures of the DMK government and criticised what she called the “betrayal” of Edappadi Palaniswami. At that meeting, she announced that she had started a party and unveiled its flag, which featured images of C.N. Annadurai, M.G. Ramachandran, and J. Jayalalithaa. She had then said that the party name would be announced later, which she has now revealed.

When reports first emerged that Sasikala was planning to launch a new party, T.T.V. Dhinakaran had criticised the move without directly naming her. He had said that a party cannot be formed immediately and that registration with the Election Commission would take at least three to six months, adding that people should not believe anyone claiming to have instantly launched a new political party.