Top office-bearers of AIADMK will decide on re-inducting Sasi : OPS
Madurai, Oct 25: Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Coordinator of the Opposition AIADMK O Panneerselvam today said any decision on re-inducting ousted leader V K Sasikala into the party would be taken by the top office-bearers of the party.
Asked about reports of Ms Sasikala, claiming herself as the General Secretary of the party and calling for strengthening the AIADMK, Mr Panneerselvam said the office-bearers of the party will discuss and take a decision on re-inducting her into the party.
‘Anyone can come into politics. But it was people’s wish to accept them”, Mr Panneerselvam, said, adding, the party has been functioning under the leadership of the Coordinator and Co-coordinator.
Ms Sasikala, the former close aide of late J Jayalalithaa, was earlier appointed as interim general secretary of the party, but was expelled after the warring AIADMK factions merged in August 2017.
Mr Panneerselvam’s remarks appeared to be contradictory to the stand adopted by former CM and AIADMK co-coordinator Edappadi K Palaniswami, who had been asserting that there was no room for the ousted interim general secretary in the party.
Mr Palaniswami had been stating that the question of readmitting Ms Sasikala into the AIADMK did not arise as she was not a member of the party.
He also took objections to Ms Sasikala using the AIADMK flag and unveiling a plaque at the memorial house of late leader MGR in the capacity as General Secretary of the party.
It may be recalled that it was Mr Panneerselvam who had openly opposed Ms Sasikala after the death of Jayalalithaa in February 2017 by launching a dharmayudh against her, stating that he was forced to resign from the Chief Minister’s post by her.
The revolt by Paneerselvam led to a split in the party and Mr Palaniswami became the Chief Minister.
However, after Ms Sasikala’s aspirations to become Chief Minister was shattered when a Special Court sentenced her to four years imprisonment in DA case, the warring factions of the AIADMK headed by Mr Panneerselvam and Mr Palaniswami merged and Ms Sasikala was sacked from the party.(UNI)
