Time will reveal who is backing Panneerselvam: Sasikala

Dubbing him a "traitor", AIADMK General Secretary V.K. Sasikala on Wednesday said only time will tell who was backing acting Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam in his revolt against her.

Panneerselvam was a "traitor who betrayed the AIADMK", Sasikala told Network18 in an interview. She said he had the support of the DMK, "which wants to destroy the AIADMK".

"The manner in which Panneerselvam behaves in the assembly, it seems he is one of them (DMK)," she added. "I don't know who is behind all this. Only time will tell."

After Panneerselvam on Tuesday night claimed he was forced to resign as Chief Minister on Sunday, Sasikala hit back on Wednesday.

She said she was not afraid of any investigation into the December 5 death of then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.

"I feel deeply saddened when a person who was in the hospital (with Jayalalithaa) for 75 days (is being) questioned."

Sasikala said the medical treatment at Apollo Hospitals where Jayalalithaa passed away went well.

"On her last day, she (Jayalalithaa) even watched serials on Jaya TV."

Sasikala expressed the hope that Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao "will save this constitutional process" by inviting her to prove her majority in the Tamil Nadu assembly.

"We do hate DMK," she said. "Why should there be a friendship with DMK?"

She said she had spent 33 years with Jayalalithaa at her residence. "How I looked after her and worked for her, the party cadres know.

"The doctors and hospital employees will testify how I took care of Amma (at Apollo)."

Asked if she suspected a political motive behind the Governor's delay to respond to her, she said: "I don't think there are political reasons why he is not inviting me."

She pointed out that on December 5, AIADMK MLAs elected her as their legislature party leader.

"The records are available. After that, in the evening, I went to the Governor's office. I was told that he had gone to Ooty.

"So we faxed a letter from all the MLAs with their signatures.

"Yesterday Panneerselvam came up with a new explanation and made false accusations. Whatever he said was baseless and false."

--IANS

mr/