Sasikala calls closed-door meet of ‘supporters’ on Sunday
The meeting is a fallout of Sasikala’s call for a united AIADMK to regain its lost glory in Tamil Nadu politics.
V K Sasikala
CHENNAI: Expelled AIADMK leader VK Sasikala has invited her supporters for a closed-door meeting on Sunday at her Poes Garden residence. The meeting, according to sources is aimed at exploring the possibility to unite the warring factions and bolster the ‘weakened’ AIADMK.
The meeting is a fallout of Sasikala’s call for a united AIADMK to regain its lost glory in Tamil Nadu politics.
“Sasikala invited the AIADMK supporters and functionaries, who are still in touch with her, for the meeting to discuss their next course of action to rebuild the party that has been fractured due to infighting, expulsions and legal battle over leadership. Most of the invitees are from Thanjavur and neighbouring districts,” said a source privy to the development.
This is going to be the first political meeting at Sasikala’s new residence opposite former CM J Jayalalithaa’s Veda Nilayam.
She moved to her new residence on January 24 this year.
After the AIADMK’s debacle in the Lok Sabha polls, she had issued a statement noting that failure to correct course would cause harm to the party. It may be recalled that AIADMK fell behind the BJP and NTK in a few constituencies in the recently concluded parliamentary elections.
Sasikala, in the statement, had said that if course correction is not done then the AIADMK will become irrelevant and she raised the need to keep alive the ideals of its leaders MG Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa. Both O Panneerselvam and Sasikala have openly stated their willingness to engage with the current AIADMK leadership in the party’s interest.
However, leaders in the AIADMK dismissed the call by Sasikala and OPS and expressed that it was a ploy to confuse the party cadre and create a mirage that the party is losing its sheen and vigour.
“They are the tools of the BJP to destabilise our party and they have been trying every opportunity to achieve their goal. They will never succeed in their attempt.
Moreover, defeat in an election for the party is nothing new, but we will bounce back like never before,” said a former minister, preferring anonymity.
