5 less known facts about Sasikala, the woman surrounded by controversy

Image: Late J Jayalalithaa along with her close aide Sasikala Natarajan (L). (PTI-File Photo)

New Delhi: In a dramatic development, AIADMK General Secretary V K Sasikala alleged that the main opposition DMK was behind O Panneerselvam's revolt against her and asserted that all the party MLAs were with her and therefore is "no problem" in her becoming the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. "All the MLAs are there like a single family, so there is no problem," she told reporters at a crowded press meet. This was Sasikala's very first interaction with journalists. Here we are telling five less know facts related with Sasikala Natarajan's life:

• On 7 December 1996, Sasikala Natarajan was arrested along with late J Jayalalithaa. They were remanded to judicial custody for 30 days in connection with the Colour TV scam. Image courtesy: The Telegraph, Calcutta
• On 19 December 2011, Jayalalithaa expelled Sasikala Natarajan from AIADMK party for allegedly running a parallel government.
• On 31 March 2012, Sasikala was admitted back into the party, when she vowed to sever her ties with all her relatives and to serve with no public ambitions.
• Sasikala along with Jayalalithaa and two others spent 21 days in jail in connection with disproportionate asset case.
• In early life, Sasikala opened a video renting business, to supplement the family income and later added video recording of programs and functions like marriages to the business.

At a different occasion on Wednesday, speaking to reporters Sasikala said all the party legislators were united as a single family. She said DMK was behind Panneerselvam’s action citing the bonhomie between him and DMK’s Working President M.K.Stalin in the Assembly. Sasikala dismissed Panneerselvam’s charge that he was forced to quit and threatened and said Panneerselvam was prompted by DMK to level the charge. Interestingly, former Tamil Nadu chief minister O Paneerselvam on Tuesday night said he was forced to resign from the post. He said he would take back his resignation if his party men, MLAs and people of the state wanted it. “Amma’s (Jayalalithaa) soul called out to me, hence I came here. Also, I want to tell some truth to the people of this country and party cadre,”Panneerselvam told reporters after a dramatic 40-minute meditation at the memorial of former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, who died in December last year. “When she was in the hospital I asked her, she (Jayalalithaa) asked me to take over as CM,” he added.