No chance of Sasikala's reinduction into AIADMK, says Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Tuesday said there was “no chance” of V K Sasikala or her nephew T T V Dhinakaran's reinduction into the AIADMK.

Palaniswami made the remarks during a media interaction after his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Sasikala, the close aide of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, is expected to walk out of the Parappana Agrahara prison in Bengaluru on January 27 after completing her four-year jail term in a disproportionate assets (DA) case. Palaniswami's two-day Delhi visit assumed significance as it came just a week before Sasikala's release.

“There is no chance. She is not even a member of the AIADMK,” Palaniswami said in response to a question on the possibility of Sasikala joining the party. Palaniswami was hand-picked by Sasikala as the AIADMK Legislature Party leader moments after the Supreme Court upheld a 2014 trial court order sentencing her to prison.

To another question on the AIADMK's stand vis-a-vis Sasikala, the chief minister reiterated that he was “100 per cent” sure that his former boss would not be accommodated again.

“It will not happen. 100 per cent. The (leadership of the) AIADMK was decided and it is functioning now. There is no second opinion on this issue,” Palaniswami said. He also said “politics was not discussed” during his meetings with Shah and Modi on Monday and Tuesday respectively.

However, sources in the know told DH that politics was certainly discussed during Palaniswami's meetings with top BJP leaders.

“It is true, maximum time was devoted to discussing matters related to governance but the AIADMK-BJP alliance, the way forward, and the political situation in Tamil Nadu were discussed. There is not much time for elections,” the source said.

The chief minister said he requested Modi to accord national status to the project aimed at linking river Cauvery with Gundar that would benefit farmers in southern Tamil Nadu. He also invited the prime minister to visit the state to inaugurate completed projects and lay the foundation stone for new schemes.

The assertion by Palaniswami comes as the BJP is pushing the AIADMK to come to an “electoral understanding” with its splinter group AMMK, headed by Dhinakaran.

Asked whether Dhinakaran will be taken back, Palaniswami said the rebel leader was a “lone man” after being deserted by his partymen who have now joined the parent party. “He is alone. He was not even a member of the party when Amma (Jayalalithaa) was alive. He was inducted into AIADMK after Amma's death,” Palaniswami said.