Sasi claims ignorance on plots against friend Jaya

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V. K. Sasikala, the estranged confidante of chief minister J Jayalalithaa, who is making a bid to patch up, said on Wednesday that she had no clue that her family members and friends had plotted against the AIADMK supremo and distanced herself from them.

“Till I was in Poes garden with akka, I had only some hint of what was happening outside, but never had full details,” she said adding only after being sent out from Poes garden after 24 years of stay with akka, she came to know of the full details of what was happening.

Only after akka took the disciplinary action in December, she came to know the reason and full background of the action that some of her relatives, taking advantage of her proximity to Jayalalithaa, had misused her name and indulged in some unwanted activities, bringing bad name to the party, Sasikala said.

“The truth is all these happened without my knowledge. Ever since I met akka, I have been thinking of the goodness of akka and never even dreamt of betraying her,” she said and disowned her relatives and friends, who acted against Jayalalithaa.

“Those who claim to be my relatives and friends and acted against the interests of akka, have committed an unpardonable offence and I will have nothing to do with them,” she said.

Ms Sasikala said she was forced to issue the statement as there were series of reports about her in various newspapers in the last three months.

The statement was given prominence in Jaya TV in its news bulletins. She said she had first met Jayalalithaa in 1984 and started staying in Poes Garden since 1988 after akka accepted her as her younger sister.
After this, she never had any intention other than helping her.

CM may welcome Sasikala, not family

In allowing Jaya TV to carry the statement of Sasikala Natarajan disowning her relatives because they had chosen to betray akka and that she was keen on returning to serve her as she had done these past 24 years, Ms Jayalalithaa appears to be conveyed loud and clear that the ‘estranged’ friend could return to Poes Garden but sans her familial baggage.

Sources said Sasikala is likely to get back in a day or two and take up the household responsibilities of the chief minister, while keeping clear of all political and administrative matters.

Actually, some Tamil journals have been recently saying that Sasikala has managed to patch up. One report said that she appeared relaxed during the last trip to Bengaluru for the hearing of the wealth case, in which she is the second accused.

She was seen smiling, did not wear the dark glasses to hide the stressed eyes and arrived ahead of time at the court. Her body language was positive. At the same time, the arrests and raids against close relatives continued.

Husband Natarajan is still in jail, so are brother Diwakaran and relative Ravanan. Another nephew Mahadevan’s premises have been raided. This in effect could mean that while Sasikala might be forgiven and rehabilitated, her family would not be tolerated.

Astrologer Vedha Gopalan must be complimented for hitting the bull’s eye predicting about Sasikala. In his ‘crystal gazing’ for Chennai Chronicle of Wednesday, he had announced that her “real tough time” has come to end. “Previously blocked auspicious events would happen.

Efforts to patch up old friendships would be partially successful”, he had predicted. And barely within a few hours of this prediction in the seventh anniversary issue of Deccan Chronicle hitting the stands came the ‘flash’ on Jaya TV, saying that Ms Sasikala has made a loyalty statement.

Now it remains to be seen whether the rest of Vedha Gopalan’s prediction would also come true. “Legal matters might come to an end”, he had said, obviously referring to the wealth case.