Chennai: Expelled AIADMK leader VK Sasikala made an emotional and politically charged address on the birth anniversary of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, announcing the launch of a new political party and unveiling its flag.

Recounting the dramatic hours following Jayalalithaa’s death in December 2016, Sasikala claimed that senior ministers and MLAs had urged her to assume the Chief Minister’s post the same night. “All the ministers and MLAs asked me to become Chief Minister,” she said, adding that the appeals were made at the private hospital where Jayalalithaa had been admitted for 72 days before dying of a heart attack.

“Our enemies said I killed her,” Sasikala said, referring to allegations that surfaced after the AIADMK supremo’s death. She maintained that she had refused the post, saying she wished to perform Jayalalithaa’s last rites according to custom. “I did not move with her as a politician but as my own sister. I told them I can't take over as Chief Minister. I told them O Panneerselvam should continue as Chief Minister and the ministers should remain,” she said, referring to former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam.

She added that she had sought the reinstatement of senior leader K A Sengottaiyan and ensured ministers were sworn in, asserting that these were the true sequence of events in 2016.

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Drawing a parallel with events after the death of AIADMK founder M. G. Ramachandran, Sasikala recalled the alleged humiliation faced by Jayalalithaa. She claimed Jayalalithaa had considered quitting politics at the time but was persuaded to continue and went on to become Tamil Nadu’s first woman Leader of the Opposition. “Something similar is happening now in the party,” she said, hinting at her own struggle within the organisation.

Sasikala also unveiled her party’s flag, featuring red, white and black bands with images of C. N. Annadurai, M G Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa. She said the party’s name would be announced shortly and described it as a Dravidian movement that would follow the ideological path of Annadurai, MGR and Jayalalithaa. “It will be a party for the common man, to uproot our enemies,” she declared.

A long-time aide of Jayalalithaa, Sasikala was appointed General Secretary of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam after her mentor’s death and attempted to stake claim to the Chief Minister’s post. However, her conviction in a disproportionate assets case led to a four-year prison sentence, barring her from contesting elections until 2027.

In her absence, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, whom she had chosen as Chief Minister, later aligned with O Panneerselvam and moved to expel her from the party, establishing a joint leadership model. Panneerselvam subsequently served as deputy to Palaniswami in government.

Sasikala has repeatedly described Palaniswami as a “betrayer”, while he has maintained that he was elected leader by the party’s MLAs rather than appointed by her.

With the launch of her new outfit and renewed claims about the events of 2016, Sasikala has reopened old fault lines within the AIADMK and signalled that her bid for political relevance is far from over.