Sasikala and TTV Dinakaran end four-year exile with OPS family

Supporters of Sasikala and AMMK functionaries are in a state of upbeat with the political diplomacy followed by the ousted AIADMK leader V K Sasikala and AMMK general secretary TTV Dhinakaran. “The meeting of Sasikala, former aide of AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa and the AIADMK co ordinator O Panneerselvam after a gap of four years has brough a new hope among the AIADMK workers and a few AIADMK MLAs were seen exchanging greetings to V K Sasikala when she called on the grieving OPS family members,” said an AIADMK MLA.

READ MORE: Sasikala meets Panneerselvam to express condolences on his wife's passing away

Following her aunt, AMMK general secretary TTV Dhinakaran also visited the native home place of OPS in Theni and consoled the grieving family members ending the four year exile between the family members of Sasikala and OPS. Politically ambitious sons of OPS - AIADMK MP Ravindranath and Jayapradeep made sure that both Sasikala and Dhinakaran were comfort during their visit to console their grieving father OPS, who is also a two time chief minister.

Usually at weddings and funerals leaders don’t discuss politics but a micro politics always exist in such events. By visiting ailing AIADMK leaders and attending the bereaving families, V K Sasikala is sending a strong and clear signal to the AIADMK leaders stating that she is ready to work along with the existing leaders, said political commentator Tharasu Shyaam. Further OPS and Sasikala family have a long-term relationship until the 2017 fall out. Noe with the DMK going on an onslaught against the former AIADMK ministers, Sasikala is giving a signal reiterating her stand that there is a need for a united AIADMK and AMMK to fight against the mighty DMK, Shyaam opined.

“Sasikala who was informed about the demise of O Panneerselvam’s wife Vijayalakhshmi took no second thought of meeting OPS who had expelled her from the party. During the death of AIADMK presidium chairman E Madhusudhanan a similar strategy was adopted and this had gone well among the AIADMK cadres,” said a senior AIADMK functionary. While the former chief minister and AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami chose to avoid an eye to eye meeting with Sasikala, there were a few former ministers including R B Udayakumar and Rajenthra Bhalaji who exchanged greetings with the AMMK leaders Sasikala and Dhinakaran.

In a surprise turn of events, unlike the AIADMK men, the party women workers were casual and chose to greet Sasikala on three occasions to meet the family members of deceased Madhusudhanan and OPS. “Of late the AIADMK women functionaries are queuing up to invite Chinamma (Sasikala) for their family weddings and this trend has encouraged chinamma, who was unceremoniously removed from the post of AIADMK general secretary,” said a family source of Sasikala. She is making use of the political diplomacy to reach out to those who had expelled her and soon there will be a new equation between the AIADMK and AMMK members, the source said adding that in all three occasions Chinnamma did not discuss politics with any AIADMK leader.