R ARIVANANTHAM
CHENNAI, MAR 3
In a sudden move of the ‘Queen’, the expelled AIADMK leader “Chinnamma’’ V K Sasikala, late on Wednesday night announced her decision to quit public life while exhorting the AIADMK cadres to stand united to defeat DMK in forthcoming Assembly elections.
“I will step aside from politics and pray that Amma Government is established in Tamil Nadu,” she said in a statement.
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Sasikala’s statement comes ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls, which will be held in a single-phase on April 6, 2021.
In a statement, Sasikala added, “‘I pray for the golden rule of Amma (Jayalalithaa).”
Earlier today, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) had said the AIADMK would decide on accommodating VK Sasikala, once a close aide of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa, in the ruling party-led alliance for the state assembly polls.
The AIADMK has so far ruled out accommodating her or her nephew TTV Dhinakaran-led Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam in the party or in the alliance led by it.
BJP Tamil Nadu in-charge and national general secretary CT Ravi, when asked if his party wanted Sasikala to be in the AIADMK-led alliance and on Home Minister Amit Shah reportedly speaking to Chief Minister K Palaniswami about the matter, said, “Only you are speculating,” he shot back to the reporters.
Her nephew and AMMK general secretary TTV Dhinakaran commented that ‘her decision was painful.”.
Sasikala had last month announced her intention to engage in active politics. Her subsequent political moves, including the stand of the AMMK floated by her nephew TTV Dhinakaran, in the polls was keenly awaited by observers and political parties alike in the state especially in the context of the crucial assembly elections.
