In a major allegation made on the floor of the Rajya Sabha, AIADMK MP Sasikala Pushpa said that she has been "harassed" and "slapped" by her party leadership, and that her life is under threat in Tamil Nadu.
On Monday morning, Sasikala was expelled from the party for a tussle she got into with DMK MP Tiruchi Siva at the Delhi airport last week. Sasikala had slapped Siva in full public view.
While speaking about the Tiruchi Siva episode, she alleged that she had been harassed by her party leadership for it.
Sasikala, in an emotional speech, told the Rajya Sabha that she was being forced to resign as an MP, and though she was grateful to Jayalalithaa for giving her opportunities, she was not willing to resign.
“I am being compelled to resign from my constitutional post by my leader, who I have much gratitude on. I am thankful for her for giving me this post, but now she is compelling me to resign. I will not do it,” she said, and asked repeatedly, “Where is women’s safety in this country?”
She further said, “Other than this forum, where can I go sir?”
Making a serious allegation, she then said, “I have been harassed, I have been slapped by her yesterday. I have been harassed by her yesterday. I have been brought here by deputy speaker Thambidurai and not been allowed to speak or meet my family.”
It is not certain as to who she meant by "her", although she was referring to her "leader" in the earlier portion of her statement.
Later in the day, Sasikala addressed a press meet in New Delhi, where she said, “For the last two months, I was under pressure to resign from my Rajya Sabha seat.” Denying that there was a connection between the IGI airport incident and her resignation, she alleged, “They have committed my RS seat to someone else, so they are forcing me to resign.”
On Saturday, Sasikala had told The News Minute that she had slapped DMK MP Tiruchi Siva at the Delhi airport because he had abused her leader.
According to reports, when she saw Siva de-boarding the flight both of them were supposed to travel on, from Delhi to Chennai, she caught hold of his collar and slapped him on the face. CISF personnel had to intervene in the tiff. Siva has reportedly stepped out of the plane not wanting to travel in the same flight as her.
Earlier, before the TN 2016 polls, pictures of Sasikala and Siva in intimate positions were leaked on social media.
Image: ANI
A member of the AIADMK called Sasikala a "drama queen" when asked about her statement on the floor of the parliament.
Sasikala's husband Thilagan has told the media that he is in no way connected to the incident, and that she is "doing politics".