Sasikala plans to conquer ADMK when in power
CHENNAI: The sudden and stunning exit of VK Sasikala from Tamil Nadu politics has come as a big boost to the ruling Anna DMK, which was worried that the former confidant of late chief minister J.
Jayalalithaa would wreck their chances of re-election.
Late on Wednesday, in a leter circulated to the media, Sasikala said: “I have decided to step aside from politics and I am praying hard to my sister, Puratchi Thalaivi (Jayalalithaa), whom I consider as a god and every god I know, to ensure that the golden rule of Amma (Jayalalithaa) prevails.
“I have never been ater power or position even when Jayalalithaa was alive. Won’t do that ater she is dead. I am quiting politics but I pray that her party wins, and her legacy goes on.
“I urge supporters of AIADMK to all work together and defeat the DMK. I urge the party cadre to work to keep her legacy going.”
It is understood that Sasikala has just put off her return until ater the election. Her plan seems to be to return and seize a party that has won the election.
She knows that her rebellion against the current leadership would damage the party and help the main opposition DMK to win smoothly.
“She wants to recapture the party when it is in power,” a leader close to Sasikala said.
Sasikala, who served four years in jail ater her conviction in a massive corruption case in which Jayalalithaa was prime accused, had returned to Chennai on Feb.9 with a road show involving 200 cars in a 23-hour journey from Bangaluru.
The cost of the show, during which her car displayed an ADMK flag, was put at Rs2 billion.
It was expected that she would enter active politics and destroy the chances of ADMK winning a third straight term, because she had pressed a case challenging her removal as ADMK general secretary.
She had vowed to challenge and dump the ADMK leadership led by Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswamy. “The party has undergone a lot of difficulties and in all those times we should take a resolution to submit our success at the feet of Jayalalithaa,” she said during the road show.
“No mater how many challenges we face, we will have to face them with the blessing of Jayalalithaa.” Her nephew TTV Dhinakaran, who floated the AMMK party when she was in jail, said Sasikala was disappointed by the atitude of ADMK leaders.