Party workers celebrate AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa's 67th birthday; posters plastered on every available wall

CHENNAI: On Tuesday, no road was spared, not a street corner was silent.

Posters greeting AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa on her 67th birthday were plastered on almost every available wall. Songs from films that starred her and party founder and former chief minister MG Ramachandran blared through loudspeakers.

While deities were being appeased in temples, the hungry were fed with annadaanam (free food) in large groups by various district representatives of the party.

The celebrations won’t be restricted to just this one day—party representatives want to keep up the tempo until the crucial Karnataka High Court rules on an appeal filed by Jayalalithaa against her in a disproportionate assets case is delivered.

Having been forced to step down as chief minister and naming O Paneerselvam in her stead, Jayalalithaa has challenged the lower court order convicting her and three others in the high court.

While the case is at an advanced stage, the party wants to ensure that the focus continues to remain on Jayalalithaa’s position as their ‘undisputed leader’.

Still, the AIADMK is looking to strike a balance. Its representatives don’t want the festivities to be too raucous that they provoke a backlash nor do they want it to be so subdued as to be interpreted as sulking.

Party representatives agree that this is probably the first such celebration at which Jayalalithaa didn’t turn up at party headquarters or meet cadres waiting outside her Poes Garden residence. But that did not deter her loyalists from putting up banners saying ``Amma is God’’ and lining up on the main roads leading all the way to her home.

The festivities were different this time in that there was more of worship and special poojas in temples rather than street corner celebrations.

Clothes and food were distributed to people in the neighbourhood instead of crowds thronging various party offices. Party leaders are attributing the change to a call made by Jayalalithaa a while back. ``Our leader is the only person who had said as early as 1988 that her birthdays should be celebrated by doing service to the people,’’ said AIADMK MLA VP Kalairajan.

When asked if the cadre’s morale was low because of the impending judgement, he said, “People are confident that Amma will emerge victorious and will return to rule the state. We are all praying for a speedy resolution of the issues. Across the state people are offering prayers and various special poojas and abhishekams are being performed.’’

Experts said that the AIADMK could also be making political inroads through these temple functions.

Perumal Manikandan, a sociologist and political observer based in Tirunelveli, said that south Tamil Nadu has witnessed many such religious events and several prominently displayed posters carrying messages that her loyalists reposed faith in Jayalalithaa.

``Party representatives work for days to bring people together from nearby areas and get them to assemble at temples to participate in the special poojas and annadhaanam dedicated to their party leadership,” he said.