<p>The ouster of&nbsp; V.K.Sasikala, a close associate of the late Chief Minister Jayalalitha, has come as no surprise. One of the conditions put forth by the leader of one of the two factions, Mr.O.Panneerselvam for the merger with the other faction was that Sasikala should be removed from the post of the general secretary for which she was hurriedly elected soon after the death of Jayalalitha. All went well until she decided to become the chief minister, replacing Mr.O.Panneerselvam who rebelled. She would have been the chief minister if the state governor,&nbsp;Mr Vidyasagar Rao had not delayed inviting to form the government.</p>

<p>Moreover, her chief ministerial ambition was rudely aborted when the Supreme Court delivered its verdict, upholding the trial court&rsquo;s decision awarding her a sentence of four years. She cannot contest an election for the next ten years and that means her political future is doomed. However, before she moved to Bangalore jail, she hurriedly got her trusted party man E.Palanisamy elected as the chief minister and appointed her nephew T.T.V Dinakaran as the deputy secretary of the party which, incidentally, is a newly created post. This, she did to keep the reins of the party within her family, which is known as the Mannargudi clan, named after the place she hails from. Many even call them the Mannargudu Mafia.</p>

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<p>In the confidence motion that followed, in February, Palanisamy won as he had the support of 122 MLAs. But soon&nbsp;Dinakaran threw his hat into the ring and offered himself to contest in the by election caused by the death of Jayalalitha in the R.K Nagar constituency. The chief minister did not expect this.He knew that if Dinakaran won, he would replace him as the chief minister.</p>

<p>Dinakaran himself during his campaign never even mentioned the name of Sasikala as he knew she had become a liability. Rightly or wrongly there was a perception among the cadres of the party and the public in general that Sasikala was responsible for the death of Jayalalitha. During the 75 days&nbsp;Jayalalitha was in the hospital, Sasikal ensured utmost secrecy about her health and allowed none, including the state governor to visit and see her. This gave rise to suspicions about her health and Sasikala&#39;s role in it. People were lamenting that it was Sasikala who would not let them have even a glimpse of their beloved leader till she died.</p>

<p>When Sasikala was made the general secretary of the party before she went to jail, there were objections from some of the party members that such a move was against the constitution of the party which stipulated that one should have been a member of the party&nbsp;continuously for five years. In 2011, Jayalalitha expelled Sashikala from the party and readmitted her later after she apologised.This resulted in a break in qualifying party membership.</p>

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<p>Sasikala&#39;s expulsion from the post is not expected to evoke any protest among the party. Even while Jayalalitha was alive, the cadres attributed all the misdeeds and corruption in the party and the government to Sasikala. They were only happy when in 2011, Jayalalitha expelled her, though, briefly from the party.</p>

<p>It is a clever move by the general council to have no general secretary at all. The Council has announced that Jayalalitha will be the &lsquo;&rsquo;Eternal&rdquo; general secretary of the AIADMK which will be guided and governed by a steering committee, comprising the chief minister Palanisami and the deputy chief minister Panneerselvam. There is nothing new in this arrangement. When the Dravida Munnetra Kazhakam split from Periyar&rsquo;s&nbsp;Dravidar Kazhakam, the founder of the DMK, Annadurai&nbsp;kept the post of the president of the party vacant saying that Periyar was still their leader. Later, Karunanidhi changed it and became the president of the DMK. After M.G.Ramachandran&rsquo;s death, Jayalalitha called herself the general secretary and not the president of the party. Now she continues&nbsp;even after her death and no body will dare to question it.</p>

<p>When Jayalalitha was alive, Sasikala was&nbsp; operating as an extra constitutional authority and was more feared than the chief minister herself. Officials took orders from her. She was allegedly involved in land grabs, corruption and amasssing of wealth. She wa a partner in many business ventures in which Jayalalitha was also involved and every one knew that her association with Jayalalitha started as a video grapher and video supplier. Partymen and cadres&nbsp;could not openly express their dislike as long as Jayalalitha was alive. Such was the hold Sasikala and her family had on Jayalalitha, that on the day of her funeral all the family members who were expelled from the party&nbsp; were seen around the body&nbsp;of the late chief minister, indicating the family was back to grab power.</p>


Possibly, the AIADMK members will be relieved at the expulsion of Sasikala as even while Jayalalitha was alive, the cadres attributed all the misdeeds and corruption in the party and the government to Sasikala.

The ouster of V.K.Sasikala, a close associate of the late Chief Minister Jayalalitha, has come as no surprise. One of the conditions put forth by the leader of one of the two factions, Mr.O.Panneerselvam for the merger with the other faction was that Sasikala should be removed from the post of the general secretary for which she was hurriedly elected soon after the death of Jayalalitha. All went well until she decided to become the chief minister, replacing Mr.O.Panneerselvam who rebelled. She would have been the chief minister if the state governor, Mr Vidyasagar Rao had not delayed inviting to form the government. Moreover, her chief ministerial ambition was rudely aborted when the Supreme Court delivered its verdict, upholding the trial court’s decision awarding her a sentence of four years. She cannot contest an election for the next ten years and that means her political future is doomed. However, before she moved to Bangalore jail, she hurriedly got her trusted party man E.Palanisamy elected as the chief minister and appointed her nephew T.T.V Dinakaran as the deputy secretary of the party which, incidentally, is a newly created post. This, she did to keep the reins of the party within her family, which is known as the Mannargudi clan, named after the place she hails from. Many even call them the Mannargudu Mafia. Many even call Sasikala's family the Mannargudu Mafia. × In the confidence motion that followed, in February, Palanisamy won as he had the support of 122 MLAs. But soon Dinakaran threw his hat into the ring and offered himself to contest in the by election caused by the death of Jayalalitha in the R.K Nagar constituency. The chief minister did not expect this.He knew that if Dinakaran won, he would replace him as the chief minister. Dinakaran himself during his campaign never even mentioned the name of Sasikala as he knew she had become a liability. Rightly or wrongly there was a perception among the cadres of the party and the public in general that Sasikala was responsible for the death of Jayalalitha. During the 75 days Jayalalitha was in the hospital, Sasikal ensured utmost secrecy about her health and allowed none, including the state governor to visit and see her. This gave rise to suspicions about her health and Sasikala's role in it. People were lamenting that it was Sasikala who would not let them have even a glimpse of their beloved leader till she died. When Sasikala was made the general secretary of the party before she went to jail, there were objections from some of the party members that such a move was against the constitution of the party which stipulated that one should have been a member of the party continuously for five years. In 2011, Jayalalitha expelled Sashikala from the party and readmitted her later after she apologised.This resulted in a break in qualifying party membership. Sasikala's expulsion from the post is not expected to evoke any protest among the party. × Sasikala's expulsion from the post is not expected to evoke any protest among the party. Even while Jayalalitha was alive, the cadres attributed all the misdeeds and corruption in the party and the government to Sasikala. They were only happy when in 2011, Jayalalitha expelled her, though, briefly from the party. It is a clever move by the general council to have no general secretary at all. The Council has announced that Jayalalitha will be the ‘’Eternal” general secretary of the AIADMK which will be guided and governed by a steering committee, comprising the chief minister Palanisami and the deputy chief minister Panneerselvam. There is nothing new in this arrangement. When the Dravida Munnetra Kazhakam split from Periyar’s Dravidar Kazhakam, the founder of the DMK, Annadurai kept the post of the president of the party vacant saying that Periyar was still their leader. Later, Karunanidhi changed it and became the president of the DMK. After M.G.Ramachandran’s death, Jayalalitha called herself the general secretary and not the president of the party. Now she continues even after her death and no body will dare to question it. When Jayalalitha was alive, Sasikala was operating as an extra constitutional authority and was more feared than the chief minister herself. Officials took orders from her. She was allegedly involved in land grabs, corruption and amasssing of wealth. She wa a partner in many business ventures in which Jayalalitha was also involved and every one knew that her association with Jayalalitha started as a video grapher and video supplier. Partymen and cadres could not openly express their dislike as long as Jayalalitha was alive. Such was the hold Sasikala and her family had on Jayalalitha, that on the day of her funeral all the family members who were expelled from the party were seen around the body of the late chief minister, indicating the family was back to grab power.

Sasikala's expulsion as the general secretary of AIADMK will not evoke any protest

<p>Amid cheers by thousands of supporters, VK Sasikala, close aide of former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa, &nbsp;took charge as AIADMK general secretary, the top party post on Saturday.</p>

<p>&quot;Amma (Jayalalithaa) is always in my heart,&quot; an emotionally charged Sasikala said after assuming charge, adding she had been with Jayalalithaa for party meetings for over 33 years and that the AIADMK will continue to rule for many years.</p>

<p>The close aide of late Jayalalithaa first garlanded the statue of party founder M G Ramachandran at the AIADMK headquarters here after she arrived in the midst of tight security.</p>

<p>She then proceeded to pay floral tributes to the portrait of Jayalalithaa.</p>

<p>Sasikala formally assumed charge by signing papers after which she proceeded to address the gathering outside.</p>

<p>En route to the party office, she was given a rousing welcome by party leaders, functionaries and cadres who had gathered in large numbers.</p>

<p>Party activists had lined up on both sides of the road from the Poes Garden residence to the party headquarters at Royapettah to welcome her.</p>

<p>Sasikala, clad in a light green saree with a pink border, greeted them with folded hands.</p>

<p>Party flags, banners and festoons sporting bright images of Jayalalithaa and Sasikala were put up on roads, all along from Poes garden to Royapettah.</p>

<p>AIADMK presidium chairman E Madusudanan, party treasurer and Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, veteran party leader and Lok Sabha deputy speaker M Thambidurai, received Sasikala and accompanied her to the party office.</p>

<p>Party leaders led her to the office of the general secretary where she held discussions with Panneerselvam, who is also party treasurer, Madusudanan, Thambidurai, and others.</p>

<p>The AIADMK headquarters at Royapettah was spruced up for the occasion. A platform was set up near the MGR statue to facilitate Sasikala to pay tributes to the party founder before taking charge. Ministers, party MPs, MLAs also participated.</p>

<p>On December 29, a meeting of AIADMK&#39;s top decision making body, the general council, which was attended by all top leaders including Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, took the decision to appoint her as part general secretary by adopting a resolution unanimously.</p>

<p>(PTI)<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Sasikala was given a rousing welcome by party leaders, functionaries and cadres of the AIADMK

Amid cheers by thousands of supporters, VK Sasikala, close aide of former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa, took charge as AIADMK general secretary, the top party post on Saturday. "Amma (Jayalalithaa) is always in my heart," an emotionally charged Sasikala said after assuming charge, adding she had been with Jayalalithaa for party meetings for over 33 years and that the AIADMK will continue to rule for many years. The close aide of late Jayalalithaa first garlanded the statue of party founder M G Ramachandran at the AIADMK headquarters here after she arrived in the midst of tight security. She then proceeded to pay floral tributes to the portrait of Jayalalithaa. Sasikala formally assumed charge by signing papers after which she proceeded to address the gathering outside. En route to the party office, she was given a rousing welcome by party leaders, functionaries and cadres who had gathered in large numbers. Party activists had lined up on both sides of the road from the Poes Garden residence to the party headquarters at Royapettah to welcome her. Sasikala, clad in a light green saree with a pink border, greeted them with folded hands. Party flags, banners and festoons sporting bright images of Jayalalithaa and Sasikala were put up on roads, all along from Poes garden to Royapettah. AIADMK presidium chairman E Madusudanan, party treasurer and Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, veteran party leader and Lok Sabha deputy speaker M Thambidurai, received Sasikala and accompanied her to the party office. Party leaders led her to the office of the general secretary where she held discussions with Panneerselvam, who is also party treasurer, Madusudanan, Thambidurai, and others. The AIADMK headquarters at Royapettah was spruced up for the occasion. A platform was set up near the MGR statue to facilitate Sasikala to pay tributes to the party founder before taking charge. Ministers, party MPs, MLAs also participated. On December 29, a meeting of AIADMK's top decision making body, the general council, which was attended by all top leaders including Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, took the decision to appoint her as part general secretary by adopting a resolution unanimously. (PTI)

Sasikala takes over as chief of Tamil Nadu's ruling AIADMK party

<p>The ruling AIADMK on Thursday strongly backed former chief minister Jayalalithaa&#39;s&nbsp;close aide VK Sasikala to succeed her as party General Secretary, saying she qualifies to be&nbsp;elected &quot;automatically&quot; and &quot;unanimously&quot; to the post by virtue of being the departed leader&#39;s&nbsp;&quot;conscience&quot; for long.</p>

<p>Party spokesperson C Ponnaiyan said while Jayalalithaa was the &quot;conscience&quot; of AIADMK founder and&nbsp;her mentor M G Ramachandran, Sasikala was, likewise, her &quot;conscience.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;Chinnamma (as Sasikala is addressed by party workers), had been with Amma through her good and bad&nbsp;times for 33 years. She had been Amma&#39;s conscience and continues to be so. She has played a vital&nbsp;role in keeping the party intact for long. Therefore, Chinnamma will be elected as General Secretary&nbsp;automatically and unanimously. There is no doubt or fear in that,&quot; he told reporters here.</p>

<p>He expressed confidence that the party&#39;s decision-making bodies, General Council and Executive&nbsp;Council, have powers to elect Sasikala to lead the party and that the &quot;aspirations will be met&quot; in&nbsp;this regard.</p>

<p>Indicating their proximity, he said Sasikala was Jayalalithaa&#39;s &#39;udanpirava sagothari&#39; (surrogate&nbsp;sister).</p>

<p>Ponnaiyan said an online campaign on WhatsApp and Facebook to &quot;defame Sasikala&quot; and &quot;finish off&nbsp;AIADMK&quot; by &quot;opposition parties&quot; will not succeed.</p>

<p>Ponnaiyan recalled that whenever the party functionaries would want to discuss an issue with&nbsp;Jayalalithaa, she would &quot;affectionately&quot; refer them to Sasikala and &quot;gave so much of importance to&nbsp;her&quot;.</p>

<p>Sasikala &quot;cared for and protected&quot; Jayalalithaa, he said, adding, she had been a &quot;shadow&quot; and&nbsp;&quot;conscience&quot; of the late leader.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, scores of senior party functionaries thronged the Poes Garden residence of Jayalalithaa&nbsp;and urged Sasikala to take over the reins of AIADMK and lead the party.</p>

<p>Senior leaders, including Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai,&nbsp;had earlier voiced their support for Sasikala&#39;s elevation to the post.</p>

<p>(PTI)</p>


It said she qualifies to be?elected 'automatically' and 'unanimously' by virtue of being Jaya's 'conscience'

The ruling AIADMK on Thursday strongly backed former chief minister Jayalalithaa's close aide VK Sasikala to succeed her as party General Secretary, saying she qualifies to be elected "automatically" and "unanimously" to the post by virtue of being the departed leader's "conscience" for long. Party spokesperson C Ponnaiyan said while Jayalalithaa was the "conscience" of AIADMK founder and her mentor M G Ramachandran, Sasikala was, likewise, her "conscience." "Chinnamma (as Sasikala is addressed by party workers), had been with Amma through her good and bad times for 33 years. She had been Amma's conscience and continues to be so. She has played a vital role in keeping the party intact for long. Therefore, Chinnamma will be elected as General Secretary automatically and unanimously. There is no doubt or fear in that," he told reporters here. He expressed confidence that the party's decision-making bodies, General Council and Executive Council, have powers to elect Sasikala to lead the party and that the "aspirations will be met" in this regard. Indicating their proximity, he said Sasikala was Jayalalithaa's 'udanpirava sagothari' (surrogate sister). Ponnaiyan said an online campaign on WhatsApp and Facebook to "defame Sasikala" and "finish off AIADMK" by "opposition parties" will not succeed. Ponnaiyan recalled that whenever the party functionaries would want to discuss an issue with Jayalalithaa, she would "affectionately" refer them to Sasikala and "gave so much of importance to her". Sasikala "cared for and protected" Jayalalithaa, he said, adding, she had been a "shadow" and "conscience" of the late leader. Meanwhile, scores of senior party functionaries thronged the Poes Garden residence of Jayalalithaa and urged Sasikala to take over the reins of AIADMK and lead the party. Senior leaders, including Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai, had earlier voiced their support for Sasikala's elevation to the post. (PTI)

India: AIADMK backs Sasikala to succeed Jayalalithaa as general secretary