Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Panneerselvam was present at the meet with AIADMK chief Sasikala Natarajan
Chennai:
Keeping alive another J Jayalalithaa tradition, new AIADMK chief Sasikala Natarajan today met her party's MLAs and MPs ahead of the budget sessions of both the Tamil Nadu assembly and Parliament. The key takeaway from her address to them - the state government must expedite decision making. Unlike Ms Jayalalithaa, however, Ms Sasikala does not hold dual charge as Chief Minister. Not yet anyway.
There was speculation that Ms Sasikala, who was Ms Jayalalithaa's closest companion for years, would take over as Chief Minister by January end, but, sources said, a handover of power by current chief minister O Panneerselvam was delayed because of the massive protests in Chennai and across Tamil Nadu last week over the demand to remove a ban on Jallikattu, the bull taming sport organised during the harvest festival of Pongal.
Mr Panneerselvam was present at today's meeting, at which Ms Sasikala, 54, also asked elected representatives of the party to work closely with people and focus on drought relief measures to farmers, AIADMK sources said.
This was Ms Sasikala's second meeting with party lawmakers after she took over earlier this month as the AIADMK's General Secretary, a post held by Ms Jayalalithaa for 28 years till she died in December.
Ms Jayalalithaa had kept Ms Natarajan away from party and government functioning while she was alive though she was known to influence key decisions. But when Ms Jayalalithaa died in a Chennai hospital 75 days after she was admitted, Ms Natarajan emerged as a strong presence and was soon requested by party leaders to take the place of Amma or mother, as J Jayalalithaa was known to her millions of fans and supporters, as party chief.
Ms Sasikala is called Chinamma or little mother and has vowed to steer the party on the principles and policies of Ms Jayalalithaa.
Ms Jayalalithaa held both posts - chief minister and party chief - unchallenged, and this is the first time that the AIADMK has different people in the two roles.
There was speculation that Ms Sasikala, who was Ms Jayalalithaa's closest companion for years, would take over as Chief Minister by January end, but, sources said, a handover of power by current chief minister O Panneerselvam was delayed because of the massive protests in Chennai and across Tamil Nadu last week over the demand to remove a ban on Jallikattu, the bull taming sport organised during the harvest festival of Pongal.
Mr Panneerselvam was present at today's meeting, at which Ms Sasikala, 54, also asked elected representatives of the party to work closely with people and focus on drought relief measures to farmers, AIADMK sources said.
This was Ms Sasikala's second meeting with party lawmakers after she took over earlier this month as the AIADMK's General Secretary, a post held by Ms Jayalalithaa for 28 years till she died in December.
Ms Jayalalithaa had kept Ms Natarajan away from party and government functioning while she was alive though she was known to influence key decisions. But when Ms Jayalalithaa died in a Chennai hospital 75 days after she was admitted, Ms Natarajan emerged as a strong presence and was soon requested by party leaders to take the place of Amma or mother, as J Jayalalithaa was known to her millions of fans and supporters, as party chief.
Ms Sasikala is called Chinamma or little mother and has vowed to steer the party on the principles and policies of Ms Jayalalithaa.
Ms Jayalalithaa held both posts - chief minister and party chief - unchallenged, and this is the first time that the AIADMK has different people in the two roles.
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