Sasikala pulls strings from jail, wants Dinakaran to get her transferred to TN
Bengaluru: The shift in power equations in neighbouring Tamil Nadu became more than evident Monday afternoon when newly appointed AIADMK deputy general secretary, T.T.V. Dinakaran arrived at the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru to meet his aunt and jailed AIADMK general secretary, Sasikala.
Reports have been doing the rounds that it is the former aide of late TM CM Jayalalithaa who is pulling the strings from behind the prison walls after she was convicted in the disproportionate assets case. One of her last decisions before she left for Bengaluru to undergo the jail sentence was to appoint her nephew, Dinakaran as party deputy general secretary, virtually handing him the baton of the AIADMK till she comes out of jail. Though there is no official word on what transpired between Sasikala and Dinakaran, unconfirmed sources said that Sasi, who missed the CM's post by a whisker, asked Dinakaran to press for her transfer to a prison in Tamil Nadu. It is learnt that her advocates may move a petition before the SC in a few days, seeking her transfer to a prison in Tamil Nadu.
There were reports on Monday that Sasikala's advocates had already moved the SC seeking her transfer to a TN jail from where it would be easier for her to oversee the administration in her state. When DC contacted her advocate, Mr Ashokan, he claimed that no such application had been filed in court. Even jail officials denied receiving any petition from Sasikala on the matter. Another relative who had come to meet Sasikala, was not allowed to do so by authorities as there are restrictions on the number of people who can meet a convict per day.
Sources said Sasikala and her relative Ilavarasi keep to themselves in the prison cell. “The former watches Tamil news on television and is updated by visiting relatives,” an official said.
Palanisami likely to meet Sasikala
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palanisami is likely to meet Sasikala on Tuesday. Sources said there was a communication from the Tamil Nadu police that the new CM would arrive in the city to meet the jailed AIADMK leader.
