AIADMK lodges plaint against Sasikala for claiming to be party's General Secy

In yet another setback for VK Sasikala and her political ambitions, AIADMK organizational secretary D Jayakumar filed a police complaint against the expelled leader for claiming to be the General Secretary of the party. Retaliating Sasikala's efforts to anoint herself as 'General Secretary', the AIADMK has repeatedly denied her chances to re-enter the party. 

For nearly nine months, Sasikala, or ‘Chinnamma’ has been sending signals that she is eager to regain control of the AIADMK, before taking any concerted political step. She has been releasing audio recordings but it has had no impact on the AIADMK cadre. This however has not deterred Sasikala from indicating that she has a strong political agenda in the state.

The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam had expelled Sasikala after she was convicted in a disproportionate assets case in 2016. On Tuesday, Chinnama wrote a letter to AIADMK cadres urging them to unitedly fight to save Amma's (late CM Jayalalitha's) legacy. In the letter, published in AIADMK's former mouthpiece Namadhu MGR, she urged everyone to 'stop the party from being poisoned'. 

“Can we gift a tiger’s cave to a cat? History will talk about the huge victory people provided to AIADMK and the way it provided governance. Due to misunderstanding between us, we gave space to our enemy,” she wrote.

On October 16, Sasikala visited the memorial of late CM J Jayalalithaa for the first time since her release from the Bengaluru prison in February this year. Surrounded by hundreds of cadres, an emotional Sasikala paid floral tributes to the AIADMK matriarch. 

Sasikala sticks to 'General Secretary' title

Following this on October 17, she visited MGR memorial house in Chennai to mark AIADMK's 50th foundation day. She hoisted a flag, unveiled a plaque identifying herself as the 'general secretary of the party, in a direct challenge to the AIADMK top brass.  AIADMK leaders, including former minister D Jayakumar, condemned the act and said Sasikala has no right to hoist the AIADMK flag or call herself the general secretary as she is not a member of the party. Later, addressing supporters in Ramapuram, Sasikala said the party is made with cadres, and the members should together to make AIADMK a success. 

Earlier in March, a month after her release from the prison, Sasikala had quit politics and urged the AIADMK cadre to unitedly fight the DMK in the 2021 assembly polls. However, after DMK trumped AIADMK, denying it a third consecutive term, Sasikala, through multiple leaked audios, appealed to the EPS-OPS to let her return. Maintaining that it will never induct Sasikala again, the AIADMK has expelled over 50 cadres for being in touch with her.