I was subjected to harassment, torture for years; only Amma backed me: OPS
Chennai: Hitting out at AIADMK general secretary Sasikala Natarajan, caretaker Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam claimed on Sunday that he had been “subjected to harassment and torture all these years”.
Speaking to the media with his supporters around him, Panneerselvam said that Jayalalithaa was the only one who had supported him.
Reiterating the claim that AIADMK MLAs had been forcibly detained by Sasikala, Panneerselvam alleged, “Even today many party MLAs are contacting me and telling that for each MLA there are four 'gundas' sitting there.”
Many party cadres who are not even in Chennai, are voicing their opinion against Sasikala assuming charge as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, he added.
“I have a question. On Saturday Sasikala went to Kuvathur, where MLAs are staying at a resort. Why did she go?,” he asked.
Accusing the AIADMK chief of ‘shedding crocodile tears’, Panneerselvam added that, “passing new remarks every day is not going to help. We will prove our strength in the Assembly”.
Panneerselvam also questioned why Jayalalithaa’s niece Deepa Jayakumar was not allowed to see the late CM’s body following her death.
Sasikala on Sunday said that party MLAs have not been ‘locked up’.
Rubbishing allegations primarily from the Panneerselvam camp that she had forcibly detained AIADMK legislators to prevent them from crossing over to the CM’s side, Sasikala blamed Opposition parties for ‘spreading rumours’.
“You can see truth that non of our MLAs have been forcibly kept here, we are living here as a family,” Sasikala said after meeting MLAs at Golden Bay resort in Kuvathur.
She broke down while addressing the MLAs. “You all are aware as to what extent our opponents have gone against us, we must stay together and foil their evil attempts. I think there is a person called Panneerselvam who you had forgotten till now. (But) nobody can even touch this party and government,” she said while in tears.
Meanwhile, yet another AIADMK MP, Parthiban, extended his support to Panneerselvam on Sunday evening. 10 MPs had already joined the OPS camp.
