Clash outside AIADMK office in Chennai, suspended MP Sasikala Pushpa's lawyer attacked

CHENNAI: Several persons were injured in a clash between AIADMK workers and supporters of Rajya Sabha member Sasikala Pushpa outside the ruling party's office here. On the violence outside the AIADMK headquarters, the party spokesperson C R Saraswathy blamed expelled M P Sasikala Pushpa for being behind the incident in which a man, believed to be the latter's lawyer, was "thrashed" by a group of alleged AIADMK supporters, which left him bleeding. Pushpa was expelled from the AIADMK sometime back but she did not resign from the upper house. The general council meeting of AIADMK is slated to be held near here on Thursday. Pushpa had announced that she would contest for the party's top post of General Secretary which fell vacant following the death of former Chief Minister and AIADMK General Secretary J. Jayalalithaa. Several party officials had pleaded with Jayalalithaa's close aide V.K. Sasikala to take over as the party's General Secretary which was opposed by Pushpa. A good number of policemen were deployed outside the AIADMK office in the morning, anticipating the arrival of Pushpa to get the form to contest for the top party post. However, her supporters and lawyers turned up at the party office shouting slogans and angering the party cadres which in turn resulted in a clash. Police escorted one person with a bloodied face.