Jaya pardons Sasikala, lets her into party

Signalling reconciliation with her estranged aide, ADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa on Saturday revoked VK Sasikala's expulsion from the party three months ago. HT reports.

Signalling reconciliation with her estranged aide, ADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa on Saturday revoked VK Sasikala's expulsion from the party three months ago.

J-Jayalalithaa-C-arrives-with-Sasikala-Natarajan-L-whose-husband-was-arrested-in-a-land-grab-case-at-a-polling-booth-in-Madras-in-this-file-photo-Reuters-Savita-Kirloskar

Sasikala was expected to return to Jayalalithaa’s Poes Garden residence in Chennai soon. However, she will only be assigned the duty of managing the household. In a statement, the Tamil Nadu chief minister, however, reiterated that the action taken against Sasikala’s relatives, including her husband M Natarajan, would continue.

Sasikala was expelled in December last year after intelligence department of the state government unearthed a political conspiracy against Jayalalithaa. Sasikala’s relatives were allegedly acting as a parallel power centre and planning for a scenario to take over the party if Jayalalithaa was convicted in a corruption case.

Sasikala was forced to leave the Poes Garden residence where she had been living with Jayalalithaa since 1988.

Jayalalithaa’s change of heart came after Sasikala wrote to her last week and issued a statement on Jaya TV, saying she wanted to keep serving the CM. She said she was unaware that her relatives were misusing her proximity to Jayalalithaa.