AIADMK’s ousted acting general secretary VK Sasikala said on Wednesday she was vindicated by her former colleague O Panneerselvam’s statement that he “personally” had no doubts about the former minister’s death in Chief J Jayalalithaa.
“The truth is now out. What God knew until yesterday is now known to the world. The truth can be delayed. There may be a delay in revealing the truth. But the truth can never be hidden behind a veil,” Sasikala told reporters here.
He was asked to comment on Panneerselvam telling the commission of a man investigating the circumstances leading to Jayalalithaa’s death that neither Sasikala nor his family members conspired against the late AIADMK supremo.
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Sasikala, who came under scrutiny after PAHO and several other AIADMK leaders accused her of hiding the truth about Jayalalithaa’s death, said she always believed the Commission would bring the truth that there was no foul play.
“I don’t think people doubted Amma’s (Jayalalithaa) death. The doubts may have been raised by my political opponents,” she said and added that Panneerselvam “spoke the truth” admitting he still has esteem for her.
Sasikala, who is coldly received by the AIADMK leadership, said she believes the wishes of cadres are “always paramount in the party”.
“I never felt bad about (not being readmitted to the party). I had seen Amma left alone after Thalaivar died. Later Amma emerged victorious and formed a government. the experience of bouncing back, I don’t feel sad. The wish of the cadres is always supreme at AIADMK,” she said.
In a major about-face four years after leading a ‘Dharma Yudham’ quest for ‘justice’ for J Jayalalithaa, Panneerselvam said on Tuesday he had no ‘personal’ suspicions about Jayalalithaa’s death, that he merely “reflected” the feelings of the public in this regard.
At the height of his rebellion against Sasikala in 2017, he hinted there was a conspiracy in his leader’s disappearance, and he was the first to call for an investigation. The AIADMK coordinator had also launched a full-throttle attack on Sasikala and his family members, including party rebel TTV Dhinakaran.
During cross-examination by Sasikala’s lawyer, Raja Senthoor Pandian, on Tuesday, Panneerselvam said he still had good regards for Jayalalithaa’s longtime aide, whom he called chinnamma, a nickname for Sasikala. , during a press briefing after the deposition.
“Nope.” This was Panneerselvam’s response when Pandian asked him if he thought that Sasikala and his family members had conspired against Jayalalithaa. When Panneerselvam was asked about “doubts” about Jayalalithaa’s death, he replied: “Personally, I had no doubts. I was just reflecting people’s feelings on the matter.
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