Hours before she left for Bengaluru on Wednesday, AIADMK interim general secretary V.K. Sasikala revoked the suspension of her nephews T.T.V. Dinakaran and S. Venkatesh from the party, readmitted them as members and even appointed Mr. Dinakaran the deputy general secretary. She declared that he would enjoy the powers of a general secretary in her absence.
In a statement, she said they had tendered an apology in writing for their past actions. For all practical purposes, Mr. Dinakaran will now be the general secretary.
As per the AIADMK’s rules, the general secretary will nominate deputy general secretaries, and they shall assume the powers of the general secretary in his or her absence.
Mr. Dinakaran, former MP, and Dr. Venkatesh, former secretary of the youth wing, were among the 12 removed from the party on December 19, 2011, on charges of interfering with government administration.
In the case of Ms. Sasikala, she was readmitted to the party on March 31, 2012, after she gave an undertaking that she would snap ties with those, particularly family members, who had betrayed the interests of Jayalalithaa.
“As far as I am concerned I am not interested in politics; I do not aspire to holding big positions in the party. I am also not interested in becoming an MLA or MP. I do not want to become a minister and be part of a government. In fact I am not interested in involving myself in public life. I want to be a true younger sister of Akka [Jayalalithaa]. I already dedicated my life to Akka. Hereafter, I do not need a life for myself, I want to serve Akka,” she had said then in her apology.
‘Shocked by conspiracy’
She had said she was shocked by the conspiracy hatched by her family members against Jayalalithaa. “Some relatives and family members took advantage of my staying at Poes Garden and indulged in unwanted activities and earned a bad name for the party and created confusion,” she had said then.
“I do not want to associate with those who have betrayed Akka as what they have committed is an unforgivable offence,” she had added.
Meanwhile, objection has risen to the appointment of Mr. Dinakaran as Deputy General Secretary among the rank of AIADMK supporters. A loud voice was E. Madhusudhanan, former AIADMK presidium chairman who recently moved to Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam’s camp. He said the post could not be held by someone who has not been a primary member of the party for a period of five years, and therefore the appointment was illegal.
