Reports indicate that AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s camp is preparing to start a separate TV news channel under the name ‘Amma News’.
When the AIADMK was in power, the party-backed news channel News J was launched, with former ministers including S. P. Shanmugam and P. Velumani involved in its management. After the recent election, the AIADMK slipped to third place and the party has since split into two factions.
Following Palaniswami’s move to remove Shanmugam and Velumani’s side from party posts, their camp reportedly claimed ownership of News J. From the day before yesterday, the channel is said to have ignored Palaniswami-related coverage and aired content critical of him.
With the party unable to disseminate its messages through News J, Palaniswami’s side is said to be working on launching a separate channel to carry AIADMK-related news. Party functionaries, including Salem suburban district secretary Ilangovan, are reportedly negotiating to buy a financially weakened channel and relaunch it soon as ‘Amma News’.
