O Panneerselvam versus VK Sasikala: 10 key developments

Jaya's death
Tamil Nadu's caretaker chief minister O Panneerselvam ordered an inquiry into the death of his mentor J Jayalalithaa, intensifying a high-stakes revolt against AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala whose potential elevation to the top post has sparked a political crisis in the state. Panneerselvam said the investigation into the death of Jayalalithaa will be headed by a retired high court judge. Jayalalithaa suffered a heart attack and passed away on December 5 after spending 75 days in hospital.

Anti-poaching
The rift between AIADMK leaders, Panneerselvam and Sashikala party deepens and party MLAs are made to choose sides between the two. In order to keep her loyal members together, Sasikala takes 130 MLAs in three buses to an undisclosed location. According to sources, the MLAs have been taken to a luxurious hotel near the airport in Chennai until governor arrives in the state capital.

Panneerselvam lacks support
Sasikala needs the support of 117 MLAs to prove her majority during a floor test in the Assembly and she has more than enough. Where will Panneerselvam get these numbers from? Unless 14 Sasikala loyalists ditch her or OPS has a silent majority that will rise up for him. OPS has support in single digits - 4 or 5 at the max and yet insists that he will win the floor test.

OPS blocks AIADMK bank accounts
On Wednesday, OPS claiming to be AIADMK treasurer wrote to two banks here not to allow anyone else to operate the party's accounts. In separate letters to the two banks he said that under the relevant party laws, he continued to be the AIADMK treasurer. "In accordance with Bye law 20, sub-clause 5 in the party constitution in continuance of my appointment as treasurer of AIADMK party by puratchi thalaivi amma, I request you not to permit anyone else to operate our AIADMK party's current account without my written consent and instructions," he said in the letters. The letters were addressed to the Chief Managers of Karur Vysya bank and Bank of India.

Sasikala unhappy
AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala alleged on Wednesday that her swearing-in as chief minister was being deliberately delayed by the governor Vidyasagar Rao. She also accused Pannerselvam of aiding the DMK's plot. "Betrayals never win. He sat next to me and spoke. If he lied after 48 hours, what had happened in the meantime? Whom did he hold discussions with? As DMK's Duraimurugan spoke in the assembly (extending open support to OPS to complete his full term), was there any other means that were exchanged? Was he lured?" she said.

Governor returns
Governor Vidyasagar Rao will be reaching Chennai today afternoon. Both parties are bracing for a floor test but Rao can choose when that should be. If the Governor waits it out and the Supreme Court verdict finds Sasikala guilty in the disproportionate assets case, it's end of the road for Sasikala. The case was filed in 1996 after BJP leader Subramanian Swamy filed a complaint against Jayalalithaa. Jayalalithaa was booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1996, for allegedly amassing unaccounted wealth. Sasikala is accused No. 2 in the case.

BJP talks tough on crisis
BJP on Thursday said that the power tussle going on in the AIADMK party is costing the people of state, adding that even late chief minister J Jayalalithaa would not have wanted this to happen. "Clearly this is an internal matter for the AIADMK and this kind feud causes lots of inconvenience to the people of Tamil Nadu and surely Jayalalithaa Ji would not have wanted that and she always wanted the stable government as that was always in her vision plan," BJP leader Shaina NC told ANI.

Congress targets BJP
The Congress has come down heavily on BJP for trying to fish in "troubled waters" and meddling in the state's internal affairs. Accusing the BJP of trying to influence the Governor to put a stay on his visit to Chennai, the Congress has asserted that the ruling dispensation was behaving in a downright "unconstitutional and illegal" manner. "They did so in Uttarakhand and lost badly when Supreme Court passed strictures. They again did it in Arunachal Pradesh and again strictures were passed. AIAMDK is the rival of the Congress but the truth is that the majority lies with AIAMDK. You cannot misuse the office of governor by using him like a puppet to destabilize the elected governor of Tamil Nadu," Surjewala told ANI.

DMK seeks CBI probe
Attacking AIADMK general secretary Sasikala, DMK working president MK Stalin on Wednesday said his party had nothing to with the ruling dispensation's "internal squabbles", and accused her of making false allegations after failing to become chief minister through a "short cut". Stalin also sought a CBI probe into Panneerselvam's allegations that he was forced to resign to make way for Sasikala. Stalin asked Sasikala to respond to Panneerselvam's allegations rather than pointing fingers at his party and accused her of trying to find a way out of the problems in her party.

Meet with President
AIADMK lawmakers had threatened to meet with President Pranab Mukherjee, in Delhi, to complain about the Governor's no-show as a move designed to benefit Sasikala's political opponents. A group of nine legislators, led by senior leader M Thambidurai, left for Delhi last evening. The MPs declined to comment on the ongoing feud at the airport as they left for Delhi where the first phase of budget session will end tomorrow.