OPS’ second son Jayapradeep’s rising clout irks party old-timers in Theni

The soft-spoken political heir of OPS is gaining ground among the political circles of AIADMK in southern Tamil Nadu. “Though Jayapradeep restricts himself to the Periyakulam AIADMK politics, his clout is more visible in nearby six Assembly constituencies.

Ahead of the upcoming civic polls, cadre aspiring for the party posts and local body posts are now rallying behind Jayapradeep. His rise had irked the party old-timers rallying behind Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami,” said an AIADMK functionary in Andipatti.

“Among party workers, Jayapradeep is just a cadre. He has never tried to assert himself as a son of AIADMK leader Panneerselvam. He is more a religious person, then a politician,” said former Rajya Sabha MP Syed Khan, who is also the Theni district secretary of AIADMK.

Jayapradeep is popular not because of political activities, but because of the personal favours, he does for the public who reach out to him. Further, he is a non-controversial soft-spoken person spending most of the time in temples attending poojas and homams, adds Syed Khan.

“He is more popular than his MP brother OP Raveendranath among the Theni party circle. But in Chennai, not many know about Jayapradeep, rarely he visits party headquarters, but frequents Amma’s memorial,” said a former AIADMK MLA.

In the wake of OPS’s brother Raja being side-lined in the party, Jayapradeep is now the AIADMK’s local face. Further, the recent defection of MGR loyalist and Andipatti strongman Thanga Tamilselvan to DMK has made things easy for the budding politician, observes the former legislator.

“OPS family has penetrated deep into the party after the demise of party supremo J Jayalalithaa and Panneerselvam is promoting nepotism,” said AMMK spokesperson and advocate Kasinatha Bharathi. The DMK has been promoting Udhayanidhi Stalin in politics and now it is the turn of OPS to promote his sons, added Bharathi.

Jayapradeep though a frequent visitor to Amma’s memorial in Marina, his visits are silent. “After meditation and prayers, he leaves without any interaction. Even the police constables posted in memorial do not know that he is the second son of AIADMK leader OPS,” said an informed police source posted at Jaya’s memorial.

“Like father, like son, Jayapradeep is an ardent Hindu devout and he presides over all the major temple festivals in Theni district. He is the most sought-after special guest in all the temples. Annan (Pradeep) not only donates for religious programmes but effectively participates till the very end of homams and special poojas,” said JP Swaminathan, secretary of AIADMK Amma Peravai, Chinnamanur. 

“Be it attending funerals, organising Sabarimala poojas, greeting cadre on their birthdays or offering cows for temples, our Annan is there with the villagers,” Swaminathan reiterates.

“Jayapradeep is a hardcore spiritual person, who runs multiple business firms. He came to the political limelight in 2016 when he conducted the “Maha Rudhra Yagam” in a temple at Periyakulam praying for the speedy recovery of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa,” recalls a local temple priest admitting that half of the religious and cultural functions in Theni are usually funded by the OPS family.

Earlier, OP Raja, the controversial brother of OPS, who had fought a murder case involving a temple priest in Theni used to preside over all the temple rituals, but now it is Pradeep representing the villagers and their cultural festivals across Theni, the priest added.

Meanwhile, the Opposition sees Jayapradeep’s growth as a classic case of nepotism, their party is often accused of by the AIADMK. “All these years the AIADMK has been defaming the DMK alleging that the party was promoting nepotism, but now the entire family of OPS is controlling the party in Theni district. 

It was because of the OPS family intervention in politics, Thanga Tamilselvan quit the AIADMK and now he is with the DMK,” DMK spokesperson CH Kannadasan told DT Next.

He pointed out that the voters are clear with their choice. “Even if the entire OPS family works day and night, Theni will elect the DMK candidates in the upcoming civic polls. 

With the party getting anti-OPS villagers on board through former Andipatti MLA Thanga Tamilselvan, we are sure of performing better in Theni politics,” Kannadasan, who is a member of DMK poll committee, emphasised.