Various groups in the AIADMK are divided on the likelihood of former interim general secretary V.K. Sasikala being able to reap political dividend out of the clean chit provided by the AIIMS medical board to Apollo Hospitals on the issue of the treatment provided to former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in 2016.
Given that a political attempt was made in February 2017 to point the needle of suspicion at her over the treatment provided to Jayalalithaa, P.M. Narasimhan, former MLA of Tiruttani and an associate of Ms. Sasikala, says “truth has prevailed”, and her position has been vindicated. Mr. Narasimhan still describes Ms. Sasikala as the general secretary of the AIADMK. [She has preferred an appeal before the Madras High Court against an Additional City Civil Court’s April 11 order, rejecting her plaint which wanted her removal from the post in September 2017 to be declared illegal and void.]
On the contrary, a senior legislator of the camp belonging to co-coordinator Edappadi K. Palaniswami argues that the development will not be beneficial to Ms. Sasikala. Meanwhile, Kovai K. Selvaraj, a supporter of coordinator O. Panneerselvam, says the question of Ms. Sasikala benefiting politically out of the AIIMS medical board’s finding does not arise, as the issue of Jayalalithaa’s death is beyond politics, and it is a “matter of great emotional significance” to the party cadre.
Mr. Panneerselvam was one of those who flagged the issue and sought a probe into her death in February 2017. However, five years later, he deposed before the Justice Arumughaswamy Commission - which is investigating the circumstances that led to Jayalalithaa’s death - that he did not have any suspicions about the former Chief Minister’s death. He claimed he had only reflected the doubts in the minds of the people. At that time, Ms. Sasikala said no one could change the facts, which “cannot be suppressed”, and she did not believe that people viewed her negatively.
Mr. Narasimhan is confident that the AIIMS’ assessment will provide a fillip to the plans of Ms. Sasikala, who has been undertaking a State-wide roadshow. “Already, she has been receiving a very good response from the party workers and the public,” the former legislator claims, adding that there is a “growing realisation among the people” that she alone could provide “proper leadership” to the party. In the weeks to come, “more and more people will come to our fold”, he claims.
But explaining the rationale behind his stand that Ms. Sasikala would not be able to gain anything out of the development, the senior legislator of the Palaniswami camp contends that her political fortunes did not “suffer merely because of the controversy”, and she has been “isolated politically even otherwise”.
