People Did Not Choose VK Sasikala, She Has No Experience: DMK

Chennai: The opposition DMK in Tamil Nadu has protested at the selection of VK Sasikala to lead the state's AIADMK government as the Chief Minister, asking how someone without any political or administrative experience can be picked for the job. O Panneerselvam, who is holding the post, announced his resignation after today's meeting.

People of Tamil Nadu did not vote for anyone from Jayalalithaa's "household" to be chief minister, the party's working president MK Stalin had earlier said. "She has no experience. Was not even elected, don't know what her policies are. How can she be CM?" a senior leader of the party told NDTV.

"One thing is certain that the government - in its present form - is clearly one that doesn't have the explicit legitimacy of having been elected by the people," Mr Stalin was quoted as saying by news agency Press Trust of India. "The people voted for a government to be headed by Ms Jayalalithaa in May, 2016 and not for one to be run by Mr. O Panneerselvam or any other person from Ms Jayalalithaa's household".

Ms Sasikala, 61, is not an elected member of the Tamil Nadu assembly. She has also never held a post in the party. But she accepted responsibility of the party and for now the top job in the government after her supporters insisted that it is not wise to have different heads for the party and the government. 65-year-old Mr Panneerselvam -- who had stood in for Jayalalithaa as the Chief Minister twice when she was arrested on charges of corruption - took over the job after her death in December.

Mr Stalin, 63, who was made the Working President of DMK last month, said he was also worried about the possibilities of division in the AIADMK, saying he was keen that it should not affect the functioning of the administration.