'Amma like my sister, OPS is not committed to AIADMK, have seen thousands like him'

Amma’s final wish was that “No one can destroy the party.” Even Amma wanted to leave the party, but Sasikala says, she prompted Jayalalithaa to stay

In her address to the media, an emotional Sasikala said, “When I was in so pain, for the party's future I stood firm on my stand. All of you must know what is the truth. People are trying to divide the organisation, I won’t let this happen.” Sasikala further stated that the Governor's delay in swearing her in, was a ploy to create further division among the cadres. 

Invoking Amma, she said that Jayalalithaa's final wish was that “No one can destroy the party.” Blaming Interim Chief Minister O Panneerselvam of breaking the party and dividing it into factions, she said that all this was her opponent’s conspiracy. 

“When Amma passed away, I came to know about conspiracy being hatched to divide the party,” said Sasikala. “OPS is not committed to the party,” saying so, she denounced him. " Betrayer's Panneerselvam's true colours can be seen now."

Further highlighting her struggles as a woman entering politics, she insisted that it was very difficult for women to stay in politics. Even Amma wanted to leave the party, but it was she who prompted her and reasoned with her not to do so, insisted Sasikala. "When MGR died, she said she didn’t want to join politics. I told her should for MGR. I grew her interest in politics. I was by Amma’s side for 33 years. There’s no part of Tamil Nadu she didn’t go. She made sure we now have 1.5 crore cadres."

On the struggle for Chief Ministership, she said that she could have become Chief Minister long back. In fact, Panneerselvam himself had asked her to take the lead but at that juncture she could not do so, so he(OPS) became the CM.

Angry and disappointed in the division within the party, she said, there are thousands of OPS’s in AIADMK, referring to the MPs and MLAs crossing over to Panneerselvam’s side. Demanding that Governor C Vidyasagar Rao invite her to form a government, she said, "We have seen 1,000 such Panneerselvams. For the past 33 years, we (Jayalalithaa) both have seen everything, so I am not scared."

She also added that when she becomes CM, she would put a picture of Amma in the Assembly and that the AIADMK rule will continue for next 4 years.

Sasikala also sent an open challenge to OPS, saying that she was not scared of any challenge. "However many men come from the Opposition, I'll be the woman to face them. As long as cadre is there, no one can harm me," she added.