Expelled AIADMK General Secretary VK Sasikala, whose return to Tamil Nadu was widely speculated following her discharge from the Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru, has instead chosen to stay on in the city for the next few days. The aide of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has checked into a luxury resort in the outskirts of Bengaluru. Her nephew and AMMK chief TTV Dhinakaran said that Sasikala, who has recovered from COVID-19, will be in isolation for another week as per doctor's orders.
And while she may have deferred her return to Tamil Nadu for now, she made her political moves clear. Sasikala, who was released from the Parappana Agrahara jail in Bengaluru on January 27 after serving her four-year imprisonment in a corruption case, left in a car bearing the AIADMK flag on its bonnet- a clear message of what her intentions in the coming days are. Reiterating Sasikala’s claim on AIADMK, Dhinakaran told the media, “She is the AIADMK General Secretary she was unanimously nominated to that post in December 2016. We have been stating this since then and have been fighting for in the court as well. She is the one who has to take all political decisions. That is what AMMK has said even back then and we say even now”.
Speaking about her current health conditions, Dhinakaran said, “I am happy she has been released. She is healthy. No one is allowed to meet her. She will be in isolation, and that is what doctors have ordered as well”. A convoy of over eight cars accompanied that of Sasikala as she made her way to the resort on Sunday. Sasikala has not spoken to the media since her release.
But signs of Sasikala wanting to make a comeback into the AIADMK were very visible as she also used the car that was once used by J Jayalalithaa. When asked about the AIADMK flag, Dhinakaran said, “She has all powers to use the party flag,” giving an indication of what political decisions can be expected over the coming days.
Visuals from inside the hospital premises showed Sasikala climbing down the stairs on her own, with support from doctors and hospital staff as she waved to her supporters who had managed to make their way inside the hospital. As she sat in the car, she continued to show the victory sign and chose to not speak to the media waiting outside the hospital.
In February 2017, the Supreme Court upheld the trial court’s conviction against Sasikala and her two relatives in the disproportionate assets case. At the time of her conviction, Sasikala, who was AIADMK General Secretary, handpicked Edappadi Palaniswami to become Chief Minister. However, Sasikala was in September 2017 expelled by the AIADMK as part of a merger deal that EPS struck with O Panneerselvam, who had rebelled against her.