"Starting a new Dravidian party; there will be no change in decision": Expelled AIADMK leader Sasikala

Ramanathapuram (Tamil Nadu) [India], February 24 (ANI): Expelled All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader VK Sasikala on Tuesday announced that she would launch a new Dravidian party, as she launched the party flag on the occasion of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's 78th birth anniversary.
Addressing a public meeting in Ramanathapuram to commemorate Jayalalithaa, Sasikala launched a scathing attack on her former colleague and AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS), accusing him of betrayal and claiming the party had declined under his leadership.
Sasikala, who was once the AIADMK's Acting General Secretary and a close aide to former Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa, was expelled from the party after she was convicted in the disproportionate assets case.
"If I continue to remain silent as I have for the past nine years, it would amount to a betrayal of the people of Tamil Nadu. Therefore, for the sake of the people of Tamil Nadu and our party cadres, we are going to launch a new party. For the people of Tamil Nadu and for our cadres, we are going to usher in a new era. We are starting a new party, a new Dravidian party that will follow the path of Perarignar Anna, Puratchi Thalaivar MGR, and Puratchi Thalaivi Amma. It will function as a party for the poor and common people and will uproot enemies and traitors," she said.
AIADMK expelled leader and Jayalalitha's close aide introduced her party flag with Black white and Red colours with images of Anna, MGR and Jayalalitha.
"For now, I am only introducing the party flag. I have not yet announced the party's name. I will announce it soon. There will be no change in this decision," she added.
Without directly naming Palaniswami at several points, Sasikala said, "We hastily chose him as Chief Minister. I do not even wish to mention his name. If he had been a good person, I would have said his name. When he became Chief Minister, I did not fully know what kind of person he was."
Claiming she played a decisive role in elevating him, she said, "I made him sit in the Chief Minister's chair and left. But what kind of person would he be if he passed a resolution to remove me?"
Sasikala alleged that while she was in prison, her parole period was curtailed at the direction of the then Chief Minister.
"When I was in prison, the prison authorities granted me 15 days of parole. However, the Chennai Commissioner contacted the prison SP and informed them that the Chief Minister had ordered that I should not be given more than five days of parole. So they told us they could not do anything. Even when my husband passed away, though 15 days were initially granted, they later informed us that only 10 days would be allowed. The very person whom I made Chief Minister stabbed me in the back," she said.
She further alleged that after her release from prison, there were plans to arrest her at the Tamil Nadu border in Hosur. "He was of the mindset that no senior leaders should remain in the party and that everyone should be removed. Because of this attitude, the party has been steadily declining," she said.
Sasikala claimed that under the current leadership, the AIADMK had suffered repeated electoral defeats. "So far, the AIADMK has faced defeat ten times and has not won even a single election. The functioning of the opposition has been extremely poor," she said.
Referring to the disproportionate assets case in which she was convicted and sentenced to four years' imprisonment, the AIADMK expelled leader said, "Then the judgment came quickly. It pronounced a four-year prison sentence. I was not afraid of that. My entire focus was on ensuring that the government would not fall."
"As I was compelled to leave for the Bengaluru prison the very next day, I urgently convened all the Members of the Legislative Assembly and took a decisive call on who should assume the position of Chief Minister," she said, again declining to name Palaniswami.
Drawing parallels with AIADMK founder M. G. Ramachandran (MGR), Sasikala recounted how he was expelled from the DMK after helping M. Karunanidhi become Chief Minister. "The very people whom we made sit in positions of power have stabbed us in the back and from the front -- as if piercing us with spears from every side," she said.
Recalling the events following Jayalalithaa's death in 2016, Sasikala said, "After Jayalalithaa passed away, that very night all our ministers came. They came and told me, 'Chinnamma, you must become the Chief Minister.' All the MLAs said the same. All this happened inside that private hospital."
"I said: 'My sister is in this condition now. At this moment, I cannot go and assume the post of Chief Minister. I have duties to perform for her at home according to our customs and traditions.' I said no. Let Panneerselvam continue as Chief Minister as before," she said.
With the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly set to go to the polls in the first half of 2026, Sasikala's announcement signals a fresh political move aimed at reclaiming space in the Dravidian political landscape.
The 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly will go to the polls in the first half of 2026, where the incumbent MK Stalin-led alliance will look to project the 'Dravidian Model 2.0' for the win against the BJP-AIADMK alliance.
Actor-turned-politician Vijay's entry with his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is expected to turn the Tamil Nadu polls into a three-way contest. (ANI)