Madurai/Chennai: Stirring a hornet's nest in the ruling AIADMK, Tamil Nadu Minister Sellur K Raju today praised deposed party chief VK Sasikala saying she had played a key role in ensuring continuance of the party government.
"Chinamma (Sasikala) is responsible for AIADMK remaining in power..there is no second opinion about it," he told reporters in Madurai.
Mr Raju made the comments at a time when Ms Sasikala, serving a four-year term in a Bengaluru prison in a disproportionate assets case, has obtained five-day emergency parole and is staying in Chennai in view of the hospitalisation of her husband Mr M Natarajan, who had undergone liver and kidney transplants.
A senior party leader from southern Tamil Nadu, Mr Raju was apparently referring to Ms Sasikala guiding the party after the demise of late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in December last year.
After senior leader O Panneerselvam revolted against her leadership and her conviction in the DA case in February last, Ms Sasikala had kept her flock together in a resort near here and ensured election of Mr Palaniswami as the AIADMK legislature party leader.
Mr Raju said since he was a minister he had to be restrained in his comments. His views should not affect the steps being taken by Mr Palaniswami and Mr Panneerselvam at the helm of the government and the party, he said.
The minister's comment hailing Ms Sasikala had been greeted with enthusiasm in her camp.
"Sleeper cell," is a phrase often used by Mr Dhinakaran, who has been seeking to oust Mr Palaniswami from power, in the recent past to claim that he had supporters in the ruling camp and they would rally behind him at the right time.
Naturally those in the rival camp will be seized of the "thought that the government was put in place by Chinamma," she told reporters in Chennai.
Only Ms Sasikala and Mr Dhinakaran will be able to steer the party and cadres were clear about that, she claimed. Meanwhile, Ms Sasikala, who arrived in Chennai on October 6, visited her husband for the second day at the Gleneagles Global Health City Hospital around noon today.
She was greeted by scores of party men in several locations as she travelled by a car to the hospital. Ms Sasikala was apprised on the health condition of Mr Natarajan by doctors at the hospital. She spent a little over two hours there, sources said.
She had been granted parole with tough conditions, including one that said she should not be involved in political or any other public activity or take part in party activities.
"Chinamma (Sasikala) is responsible for AIADMK remaining in power..there is no second opinion about it," he told reporters in Madurai.
Mr Raju made the comments at a time when Ms Sasikala, serving a four-year term in a Bengaluru prison in a disproportionate assets case, has obtained five-day emergency parole and is staying in Chennai in view of the hospitalisation of her husband Mr M Natarajan, who had undergone liver and kidney transplants.
A senior party leader from southern Tamil Nadu, Mr Raju was apparently referring to Ms Sasikala guiding the party after the demise of late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in December last year.
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After senior leader O Panneerselvam revolted against her leadership and her conviction in the DA case in February last, Ms Sasikala had kept her flock together in a resort near here and ensured election of Mr Palaniswami as the AIADMK legislature party leader.
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Mr Raju said since he was a minister he had to be restrained in his comments. His views should not affect the steps being taken by Mr Palaniswami and Mr Panneerselvam at the helm of the government and the party, he said.
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The minister's comment hailing Ms Sasikala had been greeted with enthusiasm in her camp.
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"Sleeper cell," is a phrase often used by Mr Dhinakaran, who has been seeking to oust Mr Palaniswami from power, in the recent past to claim that he had supporters in the ruling camp and they would rally behind him at the right time.
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Naturally those in the rival camp will be seized of the "thought that the government was put in place by Chinamma," she told reporters in Chennai.
Only Ms Sasikala and Mr Dhinakaran will be able to steer the party and cadres were clear about that, she claimed. Meanwhile, Ms Sasikala, who arrived in Chennai on October 6, visited her husband for the second day at the Gleneagles Global Health City Hospital around noon today.
She was greeted by scores of party men in several locations as she travelled by a car to the hospital. Ms Sasikala was apprised on the health condition of Mr Natarajan by doctors at the hospital. She spent a little over two hours there, sources said.
She had been granted parole with tough conditions, including one that said she should not be involved in political or any other public activity or take part in party activities.
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