Jayalalithaa in hospital: AIADMK 45th founding day a muted affair

CHENNAI: The ruling AIADMK's 45th founding day on Monday turned out to be a muted affair as party chief and Tamil Nadu minister J Jayalalithaa has been hospitalised .
Party presidium chairman E Madhusoodanan garlanded AIADMK founder MGR's statue and hoisted the flag at the headquarters in Royapettah in Chennai.
He released a souvenir on the occasion, the first copy of which was received by former MP S Anbazhagan, amid loud cries of "Puratchi Thalaivi Vazhga (long live our revolutionary leader).”
In the morning, the worried cadre and functionaries thronged the headquarters with ministers in tow, including O Panneerselvam, Dindigul K Srinivasan, Edappadi K Palaniswami and Sellur K Raju.
The arterial roads lacked banners and decorations, and the sound of fire crackers, which usually accompanied the visit of the party chief in the past. There was no distribution of sweets.
Women’s wing members, who would otherwise dance to the rhythmic dance beats, remained silent spectators. “Amma should have been here and hoisted the party flag. We miss her very badly. The usual pomp and gaiety of the founding day celebrations are missing. We have been praying in all religious institutions and we hope she recovers fast,” said women’s wing secretary and MP Vijila Satyanand.
This is the second time Jayalalithaa's absence was felt by the cadre on the occasion of founding day. In 2014, the party leader was in Bengaluru prison after a special court sentenced her to four years imprisonment in a disproportionate assets case . Last year, she led the founding day celebrations in the Nilgiris, a first since the party was founded in 1982.
Many functionaries said they would not celebrate Diwali this year. “The day of her return will be our Diwali. None would have steered our party like our Amma, after the demise of party founder M G Ramachandran in 1987,” said Kuthalamuthu of Athangaraipatti panchayat in Theni. The four-time panchayat president said he would not be able to distribute clothes to his villagers this time.