An air of tension prevails over Tamil Nadu, as the memorial dedicated to former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa was inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday (January 27). This coincided with the release of V K Sasikala, the former aide to Jayalalithaa and former general secretary of the AIADMK. It is important to note that her release comes just months before the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu.
Sasikala was formally released from the central jail in Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara after jail officials wearing PPE kits completed the formalities at the hospital. But, she will be spending a few more days at the Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru, as she was recently diagnosed with COVID-19.
Meanwhile, the new memorial for Jayalalithaa has been opened to the public by the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister. This memorial has been constructed near the MGR Memorial in the Marina beach and is said to have state of the art amenities.
Since this was scheduled on the same day as the release of Sasikala, there was a looming uncertainty about a potential shift in power dynamics that could happen following her release. While the AIADMK led by CM Palaniswami and Deputy CM O. Panneerselvam have stated that Sasikala’s release would not have any impact on the ground, it is expected that at least a ripple would be created in the party. It is expected that Sasikala will be joining the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK), which was founded as a separate party by Sasikala’s nephew TTV Dhinakaran.
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