Sasi sacked as AIADMK chief

Chennai: Nine months after she was catapulted to head the party after her long-time friend J. Jayalalithaa’s death, V.K. Sasikala was on Tuesday sacked as the “interim general secretary” of the AIADMK.

Nine months after she was catapulted to head the party after her longtime friend J Jayalalithaa’s death, V.K. Sasikala was on Tuesday sacked as the “interim general secretary” of the AIADMK by the powerful General Council.

The council also transferred all powers to run the party to coordinator O. Panneerselvam and joint coordinator Edappadi K. Palaniswami.

The General Council, which was last convened in December last year to appoint Sasikala as interim general secretary, passed 12 resolutions unanimously, including one on abolishing the post of General Secretary since “none can fill the void” left by Jayalalithaa, who will be the “eternal general secretary.”

Attended by 95 per cent of around 2,700 numbers, the General Council also annulled all the appointments and expulsions made by Sasikala between December 29, 2016 and February 15, 2017 which was the day she surrendered at the Parapana Agrahara prison in Bengaluru thereby effectively removing her nephew TTV Dhinakaran both from the primary membership of the party and as deputy general secretary.

The large hall at the Sri Varu Venkatachalapathy Palace in Vanagaram on the outskirts of the city erupted in applause as the resolutions relating to Sasikala’s sacking and Dhinakaran’s appointment being annulled were read out by revenue minister R.B. Uthayakumar. Ironically, it was Uthayakumar who first proposed Sasikala for Chief Ministership, two weeks after Jayalalithaa’s death.

Amendments made to the AIADMK constitution by transferring all the powers held by the general secretary to Panneerselvam and Palaniswami as coordinator and joint coordinator of the party.