VK Sasikala cries foul, says Tamil Nadu Governor deliberately delaying swearing in

Chennai: Amid uncertainty over Governor C Vidyasagar Rao's visit to Chennai, AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala has alleged that her swearing-in as Tamil Nadu's chief minister is being deliberately delayed by the former.

Reactions from VK Sasikala came in the backdrop of reports that the state's governor may not arrive in Chennai on Thursday and has instead decided to stay back in Mumbai.

AIADMK MLAs who were supposed to leave for New Delhi to seek President Pranab Mukherjee's intervention on Wednesday were asked to shelve their plan at the eleventh hour after they were informed that the Governor was scheduled to arrive in the city by noon on Thursday. 

However, AIADMK MPs left for New Delhi to attend the last day of the Parliament session.

Sasikala, shortly after caretaker Chief Minister O Panneerselvam made sensational allegations against her, addressed a press conference at her Poes Garden residence where she alleged DMK's hand in OPS's revolt. 

"Betrayals never win. It cannot win the AIADMK at all," she said, accusing Pannerselvam of aiding the DMK's plot. She said the caretaker CM was a liar for alleging that that "he was forced to resign" to pave the way for her to become CM.

She also claimed the support of more than 120 MLAs at a legislature party meeting at the party headquarters and said no one would be able to split the party.

Interestingly, both Sasikala and other AIADMK leaders like Lok Sabha deputy speaker M Thambidurai have exonerated the Centre from the charge of influencing OPS. They assert the plot was scripted by none other than Stalin and the DMK.