Former fiery Speaker Pandian takes on Sasikala

“Finally, on December 5 when I waited along with other functionaries to see Amma, we were told to see her when her body was lifted into the ambulance. Sasikala led a procession of her relatives to see Jayalalithaa’s body and none of them either wailed or were teary-eyed. We were shocked when her body was surrounded by all those whom Jayalalithaa had thrown out of Poes Garden,” Pandian said. 

Stating that Sasikala was trying to cheat as nobody knew the AIADMK party rules, Pandian said that the general secretary should be elected by party workers and this rule cannot be amended or repealed.

He also added that Sasikala was unfit to be party general secretary or Tamil Nadu chief minister as she and her family owned the Rs.17,000 crore Midas liquor group. Also when Jayalalithaa convened a press meet after her release from jail in 1996, she had said all that she had earned should go to the people. “Mr Pandian you please see to that, she told me,” he added. 

His son and former MP Manoj Pandian who was also present at the press meet said that when Sasikala returned to Poes Garden after Jayalalithaa ousted here entire family, Jayalalithaa told him that Sasikala was recalled as ‘Jayalalithaa needed a helper.’ 

“If a person becomes general secretary in 20 days and wants to become CM in 60 days, what love and affection would she have had towards Jayalalithaa. She would have always coveted the post. If Sasikala claimed that she was with Jayalalithaa for 33 years, there was another person Ms Rajam at Poes Garden who was with Jayalalithaa for more than 50 years,” he said.