Sasikala inaugurates AIADMK golden jubilee celebrations, calls for unity

Chennai, Oct 17:  AIADMK's expelled General Secretary, V.K.Sasikala on Sunday called for unity of all party factions and asked the cadres to work for its emergence as the number one party in Tamil Nadu in the days to come.

She visited the residence of AIADMK founder and former Chief Minister, late M.G. Ramachandran, at Ramapuram here to inaugurate the golden jubilee celebrations of the AIADMK.

Addressing her supporters, Sasikala, the former aide of late Chief Minister, J. Jayalalithaa said: "Even when I faced a crisis on the personal front, I ensured that the AIADMK government stayed in power and I stepped away from politics in order not to hurt the prospects of AIADMK before the 2021 Assembly elections."

She coined the slogan "Naam ondraaga veendum, kazhagam vendraga veendum" (We have to unite, the party has to win) as she garlanded the statues of MGR, and the portraits of Jayalalithaa and Janaki Ramachandran.

Sasikala also recalled the earlier split in the AIADMK in the late 1980s and said that she had personally met Janaki Ramachandran and that her initiative had led to the merger of both the factions of the AIADMK under Jayalalithaa.

She also called upon her supporters not to abuse AIADMK leaders who are not on her side, saying that this was the mistake made by the faction who was opposite to her and requested her supporters not to make the same mistake. Her speech was well received with loud applause from the audience.

Sasikala was later presented with a 'Golden Sword'. She later took lunch with the children of a special school situated nearby.

She also visited the MGR memorial at T. Nagar where also she addressed the party cadres.

On Saturday, Sasikala who was addressed as 'Chinnamma' by the cadres, paid floral tributes at the memorial of Jayalalithaa after a gap of five years. She was even seen weeping, leading to a sharp retort by AIADMK leader and former minister, D. Jayakumar who said that Sasikala would get the 'Oscar' award for her performance at the memorial.