CHENNAI: In a sudden move, AIADMK general secretary and Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Monday expelled her long-time aide V K Sasikala and her husband M Natarajan, besides 12 others — all near and dear to the couple — from the party. The action came amid reports that Sasikala and her relatives were interfering in party affairs as well as government administration.Announcing that all 14 have been removed from all their posts in the party, including its primary membership, Jayalalithaa urged AIADMK cadre to have no truck with the expelled persons.By taking such a bold step, Jayalalithaa has sent a strong message to the party cadre and ministers and bureaucrats alike that she would not tolerate any interference in her efforts to provide efficient governance in Tamil Nadu, as promised by her to the people when she took over the reins of the State for the third time on May 16, having won a major victory in the Assembly elections.Those shown the door by Jayalalithaa are Sasikala, her friend of around 28 years; M Natarajan, Sasikala’s husband; Diwakaran, Sasikala’s brother, TTV Dinakaran, V Bhaskaran, V N Sudhakaran — sons of Vanithamani, sister of Sasikala; Dr S Venkatesh, son of Sasikala’s elder brother Sundaravadanan; M Ramachandran, brother of Natarajan; Ravanan, son-in-law of Sasikala’s uncle; Kulothungan, a relative of Natarajan; Rajarajan and Thangamani, relatives of both families; T V Mahadevan, son of Dr Vinodagan who is Sasikala’s brother; and MIDAS Mohan, a close friend of Sasikala’s family.Immediately after the announcement, AIADMK cadre were seen celebrating, bursting crackers in many parts of the State. All those who have left the AIADMK in the past many years, have consistently blamed Sasikala and her relatives for their decision to quit the party and have alleged that the organisation was in the grip of the Mannargudi family, as Sasikala and her clan are known. Sasikala’s exit may pave the way for the party faithful, several of whom are currently in self-imposed exile, to return to the fold. As a prelude to this development, during the past one week, many persons, including S Panneerselvam, a retired IAS officer who was Officer on Special Duty in the Special Programme Implementation Department, were removed from their posts.
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