Expelled AIADMK leader Sasikala performs puja at temple in Rameswaram
Mar 29, 2021
Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu) [India], March 29 : Expelled AIADMK leader VK Sasikala performed a puja at Ramanathaswamy Temple in Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu on Monday.
Sasikala, who was arrested in a case of embezzlement, has been attending special pujas at major temples in various parts of the state since his release from jail.
After completing at least three different religious offerings, she came to Rameswaram last evening and stayed at a private hotel.
Following this, after attending the Spadika Linga Puja held at the Rameswaram Temple this morning, he performed special worship to Ramanathaswamy and Parvathavardhani Ambal and performed Samidarisana.
On March 3 Sasikala had said that she is "stepping aside" from politics and urged the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)cadres to stand united and ensure the defeat of rival DMK in the forthcoming Assembly elections.
Sasikala had been staying at her niece J Krishnapriya's residence in Chennai's T Nagar area after returning to the city in February following the completion of her four-year prison sentence in a disproportionate assets case.
The former AIADMK leader was discharged on January 31 from Bengaluru's Victoria hospital where she was undergoing COVID-19 treatment. She was officially released from judicial custody on January 27 after completing her four-year prison sentence in a disproportionate assets case.
In 2019, the Income Tax Department had attached properties worth Rs 1,600 crores belonging to her under the provisions of the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act.
After the demise of Jayalalithaa in December 2016, Sasikala was elected General Secretary of the AIADMK. She had handed over the control of the party to nephew Dhinkaran after being convicted in the disproportionate assets case in February 2017.
Edappadi Palaniswami was made Chief Minister with her backing but Sasikala was removed after a rival faction led by O Panneerselvam, who had rebelled against Sasikala merged with the Palaniswami faction. Both Sasikala and Dhinakaran were removed in September 2017.
Tamil Nadu will be witnessing an Assembly election in a single phase on April 6 and the counting of votes will be done on May 2.
Polls will be held for 234 seats in the state with the Congress-DMK and BJP-AIADMK alliance being the major groups contesting against each other.
