V K Sasikala spoke up in defence of O Panneerselvam’s son O Ravindranath, and criticised the current party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami for expelling the party’s lone member of parliament in Lok Sabha. She said this led to a situation where the AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) doesn’t have any representation in Parliament’s Lower House.
In a two-page statement—though she didn’t name Ravindranath—Sasikala tore into Palaniswami for placing his “selfish interests” over that of AIADMK, and told the cadres that the party will be restored to its past glory soon. However, she did not elaborate how it will be done.
Sasikala’s statement backing Ravindranath, the elder son of the ousted coordinator, who was also expelled from the AIADMK, is significant as it has led to speculation whether Panneerselvam—also known as OPS among supporters—would join hands again.
OPS rebelled against Sasikala after J Jayalalithaa’s death in 2017, which led to Palaniswami taking over as chief minister, when she went to serve her four-year prison term. Ever since the long-time aide of the late Tamil Nadu chief minister was released from prison in 2021, Panneerselvam had been giving mixed signals about a rapprochement with her.
“Amma (Jayalalithaa) took the AIADMK on a unique path by bringing several laurels to the party. However, the selfish attitude of a few, party cadres feel, has put the party on a steady decline. If the party had analysed why it lost the 2019 polls, it could have won the subsequent elections. However, the selfish people are not bothered about the party,” she said.
Due to “missteps” and “wrong decisions”, the party’s strength in Lok Sabha came down to 1 in 2019, from 37 in 2014, Sasikala said, adding that no cadre of the AIADMK will be able to “digest” the move to expel the lone MP.
“How can anyone accept the move? The party’s voice will not be heard in Lok Sabha. The attitude of the people who take such decisions is akin to uprooting a tree from the top,” she said.
After being appointed as the interim general secretary of the AIADMK at the July 11 General Council, Palaniswami has been expelling people considered close to Panneerselvam. OPS’s sons, Ravindranath and Jayapradeep, were also expelled along with six district secretaries and a few state-level functionaries.