VK Sasikala, close aide of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, is heard in an audio clip that was ‘leaked’ on Tuesday, 15 June, as saying that she would have made AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu if he had not opted to stage a ‘dharma yudham’ in February 2017.
In the audio clip, the former AIADMK General Secretary is allegedly talking to an AIADMK member and is heard saying that she cannot be a mute spectator anymore since party members are complaining about the functioning of the party and are requesting her to come back to politics.
Sasikala says, “During that time, O Panneerselvam left the party and if he had not I would have made him the Chief Minister. I have been backstabbed so many times that there is no place left now to backstab. So, even after facing all these hardships how can I just be a mute spectator?”
This statement was made with regards to the dharma yudham launched on 7 February 2017, by OPS against Sasikala at Jayalalithaa's memorial. Hours before his revolt, OPS had been made to step down as CM to make way for Sasikala’s elevation. Following his rebellion, Sasikala had expelled him from the party and called him a traitor.
The party split into two AIADMK factions, with one being led by Sasikala and the other by OPS. However, when Sasikala was convicted in the disproportionate assets case a week later, she chose to appoint Edappadi Palaniswami as the CM.
In the audio clip, she goes on to say, “I just want the party to function well and cadres are saying that only if I come, the party will be fine. When the party is in the opposition and if we don’t know how to run the party then there is no point in expelling the party members.”
This was mentioned in connection with AIADMK’s move on 14 June to expel 15 party members for having phone conversations with her and thereby “tarnishing the integrity of the party.”
She further says, “Everyone is saying that the party is functioning only based on caste. However, this is a party for commoners and I am upset about the shape the party is in currently in. Even during this election, AIADMK would have come back to power but there was no cooperation from their side.” She was referring to the lack of cooperation from Palaniswami and OPS.
“But even now, I only want to make the party stand and rule for the next 100 years as Jayalalithaa desired. So, I cannot simply wait and watch the party getting ruined,” she adds.
(This story was first published in The News Minute and has been republished with permission.)
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