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Expelled AIADMK leader Sasikala, who only revealed the flag of her new party, said she will soon announce the name and there will be no change in her decision
Expelled AIADMK leader VK Sasikala launched a new political party ahead of the Tamil Nadu assembly elections, on February 24, 2026. (Image: News18)
Hours after her “good news” teaser, expelled AIADMK leader VK Sasikala on Tuesday launched a new Dravidian party on the occasion of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s 78th birth anniversary.
Sasikala, who only revealed the flag of the party, said she will soon announce the name and there will be no change in her decision.
She said the Dravidian party is for the people of Tamil Nadu and will function “for the poor and common people and uproot enemies and traitors” – the last bit a swipe against former colleague and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami. She said the party will walk the path shown by “Perarignar Anna, Puratchi Thalaivar MGR, and Puratchi Thalaivi Amma”.
“If I continue to remain silent as I have for the past nine years, it would amount to a betrayal of the people of Tamil Nadu. Therefore, for the sake of the people of Tamil Nadu and our party cadres, we are going to launch a new party. For the people of Tamil Nadu and for our cadres, we are going to usher in a new era. We are starting a new party, a new Dravidian party that will follow the path of Perarignar Anna, Puratchi Thalaivar MGR, and Puratchi Thalaivi Amma. It will function as a party for the poor and common people and will uproot enemies and traitors,” Sasikala said while addressing a public meeting in Ramanathapuram to commemorate Jayalalithaa.
Her party flag in black, white and red displayed images of Anna, MGR and Jayalalitha.
‘DON’T EVEN WISH TO MENTION HIS NAME’
Without naming him, Sasikala launched a scathing attack on Palaniswami accusing him of betrayal while claiming that the AIADMK had declined under his leadership.
Once the AIADMK’s acting general secretary and a close aide to Jayalalithaa, Sasikala was expelled from the party after she was convicted in the disproportionate assets case.
“We hastily chose him (Palaniswami) as chief minister. I do not even wish to mention his name. If he had been a good person, I would have said his name. When he became chief minister, I did not fully know what kind of person he was,” she said, claiming that she played a decisive role in elevating him.
She added: “I made him sit in the chief minister’s chair and left. But what kind of person would he be if he passed a resolution to remove me?”
She alleged that while she was in prison, her parole period was curtailed at his direction. “When I was in prison, the prison authorities granted me 15 days of parole. However, the Chennai commissioner contacted the prison SP (superintendent of police) and informed them that the chief minister had ordered that I should not be given more than five days of parole. So they told us they could not do anything. Even when my husband passed away, though 15 days were initially granted, they later informed us that only 10 days would be allowed. The very person whom I made chief minister stabbed me in the back,” she added.
‘STABBED US IN THE BACK AND FRONT’
Sasikala claimed that under the current leadership, the AIADMK had suffered repeated electoral defeats.
“So far, the AIADMK has faced defeat ten times and has not won even a single election. The functioning of the opposition has been extremely poor,” she said.
Drawing parallels with AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran (MGR), she recounted how he was expelled from the DMK after helping M Karunanidhi become CM.
“The very people whom we made sit in positions of power have stabbed us in the back and from the front – as if piercing us with spears from every side,” she said.
Recalling the events after Jayalalithaa’s death in 2016, she said, “After Jayalalithaa passed away, that very night all our ministers came. They came and told me, ‘Chinnamma, you must become the chief minister’. All the MLAs said the same. All this happened inside that private hospital. I said: ‘My sister is in this condition now. At this moment, I cannot go and assume the post of chief minister. I have duties to perform for her at home according to our customs and traditions’. I said no. Let Panneerselvam continue as chief minister as before.”
Sasikala’s announcement comes ahead of the Tamil Nadu assembly elections, signalling a bid to reclaim space in the Dravidian political landscape. She is not only up against her former party, which is in alliance with the BJP, but also Chief Minister MK Stalin’s ‘Dravidian Model 2.0’ and actor-turned-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
(With agency inputs)
February 24, 2026, 21:08 IST
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