Ministers dismiss rumours on Sasikala’s meeting with MLAs

A meeting of party MLAs to be chaired by All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary V.K. Sasikala on Sunday has triggered speculation that she would initiate steps to replace Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam as leader of the legislature party. Senior leaders of the AIADMK, however, insisted that Sunday’s meeting was merely to facilitate “direct communication” between MLAs and the government. “No other purpose needs to be read in this,” they said. As people’s representatives, MLAs have a number of issues to pursue with the government and now, they are approaching the Ministers individually and trying to get their issues addressed. A Minister said the election of Ms. Sasikala as Chief Minister was not on the agenda of the MLAs meeting. “When she met the MLAs last time, Ms Sasikala asked them to provide in writing their ideas to implement the vision of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. The idea is to bring a strong bond between the party and the government,” he added. Ms Sasikala, at her maiden meeting with the legislators on January 27, reportedly asked them to be in touch with her for representing any issue or problem concerning people in their constituencies. The proposed meeting is a sequel to this observation, the leaders claimed.

On Friday, Ms. Natarajan announced the appointment of leaders to several party posts, inducting persons who had been sidelined by former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.

Though about a month ago, key functionaries such as M. Thambidurai, the party propaganda secretary and Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha, and R.B. Udhayakumar, Revenue Minister and the secretary of a party wing, “Puratchi Thalaivi Peravai,” called upon Ms Sasikala to take over the reins of the government, the demand has subsequently not been raked up by others.