AIADMK to launch official mouthpiece on February 24, former CM Jayalalithaa's birth anniversary

CHENNAI: The ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu will launch its official mouthpiece on February 24, coinciding with the 70th birth anniversary of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa.

A life-sized statue of Jayalalithaa will also be installed at the party headquarters on that day, a party release here said.

Titled 'Namathu Amma' (Our Amma-- a reference to Jayalalithaa), on the lines of erstwhile party organ 'Dr Namathu MGR,' the Tamil daily comes in the wake of the party lacking its own media.

Both 'Dr Namathu MGR', a Tamil daily started by Jayalalithaa, and 'Jaya TV', are controlled by family members of deposed party leader V K Sasikala, who is serving a jail term in Bengaluru in an assets case.

These media arms have been openly critical of the ruling dispensation since the chief minister K Palainiswami led camp sidelined Sasikala's nephew T T V Dhinakaran last year before its merger with faction led by now deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam.

The proposal to launch its own official organ was discussed at a meeting of the party last month.

The AIADMK was also mulling launch of its own TV channel.

Panneerselvam, AIADMK Coordinator, and Palaniswami, the co-coordinator, will unveil the statue as well as launch the new mouthpiece, the party said.

The statue will be placed near that of party founder, late Chief Minister M G Ramachandran, known as MGR.