Picking proxy can never win people's trust: BJP on Sasikala's move

NEW DELHI: With AIADMK General Secretary V K Sasikala pushing her nominee to be the next Tamil Nadu chief minister, BJP today said appointment of a proxy can never win people's trust and urged the Governor to take a decision on the basis of numbers as well as credibility.

The party's General Secretary and Tamil Nadu in-charge P Muralidhar Rao said Sasikala, whose hope of becoming the state's chief minister was dashed following her conviction by the Supreme Court in a corruption case, may have the advantage of being the AIADMK chief but she unlike late J Jayalalithaa does not have people's endorsement.

"Sasikala has the advantage of being at the top of the party but she does not have the advantage that Jayalalithaa had, which was having people's endorsement. That is a very important factor. By appointing a proxy you can never win people's trust, which is essential.

"The Governor (Ch Vidyasagar Rao) has to take a call in the context of the Supreme Court's verdict. It has become a new factor. He cannot go by mere numbers. He has to go by both numbers and credibility.

"He has to judge as to who is more viable and capable of giving a stable government," Rao told PTI.

If the new AIADMK leader is not able to create confidence among the people and cadres and is like a "puppet" and a "yes man", then the party should "know that the verdict is a blow to all kinds of manipulation", he said.

The state needs a clean and effective government, he said.

Though BJP has not made any official comment on the power struggle between caretaker Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and Sasikala, party leaders have indicated their support for Panneerselvam.

Her loyalist Edappadi K Palaniswami was elected as the new Legislature Party Leader following her conviction and she also sacked Panneerselvam from the party's primary membership.