EPS rules out re-entry of Sasikala & Dhinakaran in AIADMK amid grand return of 'Chinnamma'

On Wednesday, Tamil Nadu CM E Palaniswami reaffirmed that his former leader VK Sasikala and her nephew TTV Dhinakaran can never become a part of AIADMK. This comes even as the expelled AIADMK general secretary took 23 hours to reach Chennai from Bengaluru with thousands of people cheering her cavalcade throughout the journey. During his campaign for the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls due in April-May this year, EPS made it clear that "AIADMK will never bow before them". Both Sasikala and Dhinakaran were expelled from the party in August 2017 after the merger of the factions led by EPS and O Panneerselvam.

Taking a swipe at Sasikala's re-entry on the political scene, he alleged that there was an attempt to recapture AIADMK and urged all party workers to prevent such a possibility. Currently, the party has a collective leadership with Panneerselvam and EPS serving as the coordinator and co-coordinator respectively. Alleging that AMMK general secretary Dhinakaran had tried to bring down the government and split AIADMK in 2017, the TN CM insisted that the party cadre will never accept the former as their leader. 

Read: Dhinakaran Claims Rajinikanth Was Among The First To Call & Check On Sasikala's Health

Sasikala gets rousing welcome

On January 27, Sasikala was formally released from prison after serving a 4-year jail term in the Rs.66 crore disproportionate assets case. However, she was discharged from the Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru only on January 31 as she was undergoing treatment for COVID-19. On Monday, the former AIADMK leader left a resort on Bengaluru outskirts where she completed her home quarantine after paying floral tributes to a portrait of Jayalalithaa. 

As her convoy crossed Tamil Nadu at Athipalli in Krishnagiri district, she was greeted by a large gathering of people who waved AMMK and AIADMK flags. Throughout the journey from Karnataka, her supporters broke into celebrations and showered flower petals on her convoy. Moreover, multiple banners, flex boards, posters and hoardings welcoming Sasikala were put up in the Krishnagiri district. Speaking to the media thereafter, the ousted AIADMK general secretary announced that she would enter full-fledged politics soon. 

Resolving that she will never bow down to oppression, Sasikala stated that she was indebted to the people of Tamil Nadu. According to her, the complaints filed by TN Ministers against her for using the AIADMK flag on her car showed that "they are in jitters". Speaking on the closure of Jayalithaa's memorial in Chennai, she said, "The people of Tamil Nadu know very well what all this means".  While refusing to categorically answer whether she would regain control of AIADMK or visit the party headquarters, she expressed hope that everyone would work together to defeat the "common enemy"- presumably a reference to DMK.

Read: DMK Claims 'AIADMK Following Delhi's Instructions' After It Says No Alliance With Sasikala