Ministers want Sasikala to become CM

At least three ministers have reiterated his demand for Sasikala to take over the reins of the AIADMK government along with two of his Cabinet colleagues at the memorial of Jayalalithaa.

Revenue minister R. B. Uthayakumar, information and publicity minister Kadambur Raju and Hindu religious and charitable endowments minister Sevvoor S. Ramachandran stressed that the posts of AIADMK supremo and Chief Minister were held by one and the same since the party’s inception and this practice should be continued.

Sasikala has turned into the central figure that even senior partymen are projecting.

Three-time Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, in stark contrast, is not on posters or hoardings even in his hometown of Periyakulam in Theni district.

On Saturday, Sasikala Natarajan, a long-time close aide to late chief minister J Jayalalithaa, formally took over as the general secretary of the AIADMK in Chennai.

In her address to party workers, Sasikala broke down while talking about the late chief minister.

“Amma is not with us now but our party will rule here for the next 100 years…For Amma, party was life and for me, Amma is my life,” she said in Tamil. Thanking party leaders and supporters for nominating her as the next general secretary, Sasikala assured them that she would work hard for the party and for the crores of people of Tamil Nadu.