Sacked veteran pays back Sasikala in same coin

Refusing to accept his being stripped of the primary membership of the AIADMK by General Secretary Sasikala, he said he had sacked her from the General Secretary’s post before she could sack him. Calling on the cadre to get ready to elect a new general secretary, he said according to rules framed by party founder MGR, a general secretary can be chosen only by the party cadre and not by nomination. 

Madhusoodhanan flanked by Panneerselvam said he would soon announce the date for the election of a new general secretary. Madhusoodhanan had earlier told the press that he had written to the Election Commission to ensure that Sasikala was removed from the post of general secretary. 

Earlier, AIADMK General Secretary Sasikala had announced that she had sacked Madhusoodhanan from the post of presidium chairman and instead appointed KA Sengottaiyan as the new presidium chairman.  

Meanwhile, former Nellithope (Puducherry) MLA Om Shakthi Sekar who joined the Panneerselvam group was also stripped from the party’s primary membership by Sasikala on Thursday. MP Dr V Maitreyan said “Sasikala has no authority as she is not a regular general secretary, only a nominated one.”

A day after staking claim to form government amidst a political turmoil in Tamil Nadu, AIADMK General Secretary VK Sasikala on Friday expressed confidence that Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao will ‘uphold the Constitution and democracy’. In her first comments to party functionaries after meeting Rao, Sasikala credited the late Chief Minister for the AIADMK emerging as the ‘third largest party in Parliament (Lok Sabha)’. “With the cooperation of all, this movement will further flourish, so we need not worry,” she said.

The Madras High Court on taking strong exception to the government public prosecutor retracting the earlier statement that AIADMK MLAs supporting VK Sasikala were staying in the government MLAs hostel on their own volition as incorrect, directed him to file a report on their status by February 13.

When the habeas corpus petitions filed for freeing two AIADMK MLAs came up for further hearing on Friday, the division bench comprising Justice CT Selvam and Justice T Mathivanan adjourned the case by two weeks but not until advocate K Balu intervened. 

He said that besides the prosecutor’s submission being totally contrary to media reports as many as 20 MLAs were on a fast at the resort where they have been lodged on ECR protesting confinement. He also submitted that one AIADMK MLA SP Shanmuganathan, who escaped from the resort had written a letter to the DGP and Governor about being held captive. 

The division bench on observing that if the allegation about these MLAs being under confinement is true, it is a matter of concern. However, the bench on holding that it would only be appropriate to afford the State an opportunity to inform its response, adjourned the case to February 13.