VK Sasikala's husband M Natarajan was expelled by J Jayalalithaa from AIADMK in 2012.
Highlights
- M Natarajan was expelled by J Jayalalithaa from party
- His wife, Sasikala, had to disown him in 2012
- Asserts he will "always be involved" behind-the-scenes of AIADMK
As her party celebrated J Jayalalithaa's 69th birth anniversary, the occasion turned into an equal-opportunity for competing groups to claim rights to her enviable political legacy.
Niece Deepa Jayakumar, who, after Ms Jayalalithaa's death in December, has taken to dressing like her and appropriating her mannerisms, said the AIADMK has been "hijacked" and that Chief Minister E Palaniswami is all wrong for the job.
Mr Palaniswami is, in fact, the proxy for VK Sasikala, who lived for over two decades with Ms Jayalalithaa and is now in jail, serving time for a corruption case that involved both women. Ms Sasikala, before her imprisonment, agglomerated the support of the vast majority of the AIADMK and installed her nephews in important offices within the party.
Ms Sasikala's husband, M Natarajan, like those nephews, had been ejected from the AIADMK and Ms Jayalaithaa's home in 2012 on charges of over-reach in administrative and other decisions. However, Mr Natarajan, who was disowned by Ms Sasikala to retain her relationship with Ms Jayalalithaa, has been at his wife's side on different public occasions, including at Ms Jayalalithaa's nationally televised funeral.
He asserted today that he will "always remain a backroom player" for the AIADMK. "I will always remain behind in the AIADMK party's activities and will be silent," he said.
According to the Press Trust of India, he also said that party veteran O Panneerselvam, who unsuccessfully tried to become Chief Minister and revolted against Ms Sasikala, is analogous to insects that "swarm around a dead elephant."
Mr Panneerselvam, who counts Ms Jayalalithaa's niece among his supporters, has said he will continue to fight to wrest control of the party from Ms Sasikala and her family, often referred to as the "Mannargudi Mafia", a label that combines their home-town with their alleged financial excesses.