Sasikala's Chennai visit sent the AIADMK into a tizzy. Does she still wield such power?
- Sasikala’s parole was a major cause of worry for her political opponents, especially the Palaniswami and his supporters
- Cooperation minister Sellur Raju though, was full of praises for her and said that AIADMK is in power because of her
- Sasikala still wields power in her hands although she has been incarcerated for close to eight months now
FollowSasikala’s parole was a major cause of worry for her political opponents, especially the Palaniswami and his supporters.
Sasikala’s arrival at her niece Krishnapriya's residence in T Nagar in Chennai was, however, was a lackluster event with hardly anyone showing up.
Her stay at Chennai too was uneventful since she was extra careful to not break any parole rules.
Sasikala had reportedly requested that she wanted to spend at least five minutes at the Jayalalithaa memorial, but her relatives counselled her not to be seen in a public place, as that could affect chances of a parole in the future.
She tried to keep her visit to her ailing husband a low-key affair. Cooperation minister Sellur Raju though, was full of praises for her. He said, “Chinamma is responsible for AIADMK remaining in power. There is no second opinion about it.”
This sent the ruling AIADMK government into a tizzy as Sasikala is considered a bigger threat to the party than the DMK. Dhinakaran supporter CR Saraswati said that the ‘sleeper cells’ within the ruling camp were making their presence felt.
Before leaving for Bengaluru however, 50 members of Sasikala faction of the AIADMK arrived to see her off. "Chinamma Vaazhga'' (Long Live Chinamma) was the slogan used by the members with the women performing pujas before her vehicle.
She was careful not to roll down the windows, because interacting with the public could have been construed as a violation of the parole rules. She only switched on the overhead light in the car so her followers could see her face.
Except near Raj Bhavan, where some 70-odd party workers with AIADMK flags stopped the vehicle again, Team Sasikala had decided against making any pitstops on the way to Parappana Agrahara.
This shows that Sasikala still wields power in her hands although she has been incarcerated for close to eight months now. As far as the AIADMK is concerned, Sasikala is enemy no 1. Sasikala was the go-to person when Jayalalitha was in power. And the panic that her visit caused to the AIADMK proves that they are still wary of her.
