In two leaked audio clips that have now become viral, VK Sasikala, former Chief Minister late J Jayalalithaa’s close aide, can be heard assuring party faithfuls of her return. “I will definitely return, don’t worry. We can set everything in the party right. Be brave,” she says in one audio clip, where she’s speaking to a cadre named Lawrence.
In another audio clip where she’s speaking to another member named Suresh, Sasikala says, “I will return soon, don’t worry. I am pained by their fights. We went through a lot of difficulty in developing this party, I am not able to see it go to waste. I will come soon. After corona reduces, I will meet you all. Stay brave.”
“With you all around, I have no worries,” she adds. Sasikala also warns them of pandemic and asks everyone to stay safe.
Following her release from Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara prison on January 27 this year, Sasikala made a grand entry into Tamil Nadu in a massive roadshow on February 8, during which she travelled from Bengaluru to Chennai in a 23-hour drive, surrounded and welcomed by her supporters.
Sasikala who briefly took charge as the AIADMK’s General Secretary following Jayalalithaa’s demise, was arrested in 2017 in the disproportionate assets case by Supreme Court Order. While her return was expected to stir wild controversy within the AIADMK party that was at the time on the precipice of its first Assembly elections without Jayalalithaa, Sasikala piqued curiosity with her announcement that she was stepping away from politics.
“I never wanted a post or power. I am always thankful for the people of Tamil Nadu. I am staying away from politics and I pray to my sister (late CM Jayalalithaa) and god for establishing a good governance,” she had said at the time and added, ”true followers of Amma should strive to fight against the ‘evil’ DMK and aim to establish the government of Amma.”
Sasikala’s leaked audio clips, therefore, have once again given rise to speculations on AIADMK’s internal conflicts that might take up centre stage in the near future.