Repeatedly backstabbed, will set the party right: V K Sasikala

CHENNAI: Churning AIADMK politics further, J Jayalalithaa’s aide V K Sasikala on Tuesday said she would have retained senior leader O Panneerselvam as chief minister before she left for Bengaluru prison in 2017 after she was convicted in a disproportionate assets case. But it was OPS who chose to rebel against her, Sasikala hinted in conversations with party cadres. She chose Edappadi K Palaniswami as chief ministerial candidate after OPS launched his ‘dharmayudh’ against her and her family. Sasikala vowed she would be part of the AIADMK till her last breath.
The estranged leader has been speaking to AIADMK cadres and junior functionaries, the audio clips of which are being widely circulated. On Monday, the AIADMK expelled 15 functionaries, who had spoken to her in recent weeks. In a telephone call to a functionary in Theni, the native district of AIADMK coordinator Panneerelvam, Sasikala said, “I would have retained him (OPS) in the post (of CM)…but he chose to… (rebel against her).”
She added that she was “repeatedly backstabbed so much so there was no space left on her back”. But she would not remain a mute spectator when the AIADMK leadership was expelling cadres, who have been expressing their concerns to her about developments in the party.
Reiterating that she would return to politics after lockdown was lifted, Sasikala said that setting right the AIADMK was her priority and the party should remain strong even after a century. “That is my desire. I will do it with the support of cadres. I will be in the AIADMK until my last breath. We will establish Amma’s rule and do what she desired, which is to help the poor,” Sasikala said, adding that she had the responsibility to take care of the cadres.