Dhinakaran targets Sasikala over her new party launch: 'Like instant sambar and idli'

Both Sasikala and Dhinakaran were expelled from the AIADMK by Panneerselvam and Palaniswami in August 2017

• Sasikala launches new party ahead of Tamil Nadu elections.
• Dhinakaran mocks Sasikala's party, says NDA won't be affected.
• Sasikala unveils party flag with images of MGR and Jayalalithaa.

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AMMK leader T T V Dhinakaran mocked his aunt V K Sasikala’s political party launch, likening it to "instant sambar and idli” and said the NDA’s prospects at the hustings will not be affected by it.

On Tuesday, while celebrating the 78th birth anniversary of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in Ramanathapuram’s Kamuthi, Sasikala made a dramatic comeback in politics by announcing the launch of her own political party.

She unveiled her party flag carrying the images of former Chief Ministers: C N Annadurai, M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa, and targeted AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, who had expelled her from the party.

Asked about the political party launch by the former interim general secretary of AIADMK, AMMK general secretary Dhinakaran told reporters, "Many new parties are emerging suddenly like instant sambar and instant idly. Anyone can start a party in a democracy."

He claimed that no one can stop Amma's (Jayalalithaa) true followers from standing together and forming Amma’s government. “All the true followers of Amma - the AMMK and AIADMK - are solidly together in facing the upcoming Assembly election. We will establish Amma’s rule in the state,” Dhinakaran told reporters in Tirunelveli on Tuesday.

Without naming anyone, Dhinakaran said, “The true colours of those who all along have been claiming to install Amma’s rule in the state, now stand exposed.”

Dhinakaran, who is son of Sasikala’s sister, Vanithamani, however, had defended his aunt with regard to the 2017 crisis in the AIADMK and claimed that then Chief Minister O Panneerselvam had resigned due to pressure from his own ministerial colleagues and not because of Sasikala.

Both Sasikala and Dhinakaran were expelled from the AIADMK by Panneerselvam and Palaniswami in August 2017, and later Palaniswami, who gained complete control of the AIADMK, removed Panneerselvam from the AIADMK in July 2022.

The former confidante of Jayalalithaa, announced the launch of a new political party, just months ahead of the Tamil Nadu elections where a four-cornered contest is likely with her arrival, and asserted "we are going to witness a new political chapter." "As far as I'm concerned, I have made a clear decision, it is for the sake of Tamil Nadu, its people and for our cadres; we are going to witness a new arena (chapter), we are going to start a new party, this will be a Dravidian party," she added.

Explaining the events that unfolded following the demise of Jayalalithaa in December 2016, she slammed AIADMK chief and said she named him as the chief minister then and was very careful to ensure that the party-led government (2016-21) did not fall due to instability.

She said the very same person whom she named as chief minister (Palaniswami) got her eased out of the party just like "flinging a piece of paper. "I do not display my anger, and I learnt it from Thalaivar (MGR)," she said.

On ex-CM O Panneerselvam--she said his decision to rebel when Palaniswami was named the chief minister-- by pursuing a 'Dharma Yudham' eventually caused him problems, which continues to this day for him.