AIADMK member and a Rajya Sabha MP from Tamil Nadu, Sasikala Pushpa, alleged in the House on Monday that a party leader slapped her and is forcing her to resign from the party.
Minutes after she broke down in the Rajya Sabha, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa sacked Pushpa for bringing “ill name to the party”.
In a major allegation made on the floor of the Rajya Sabha, Sasikala said that she has been “harassed” and “slapped” by her party leadership, and that her life is under threat in Tamil Nadu.
Sasikala was expelled from the party for a tussle she got into with DMK MP Tiruchi Siva at the Delhi airport last week. Sasikala had slapped Siva in full public view.
While speaking about the Tiruchi Siva episode, she alleged that she had been harassed by her party leadership for it.
I have been harassed, I have been slapped by her yesterday. I have been harassed by her yesterday. I have been brought here by deputy speaker Thambidurai and not been allowed to speak or meet my family.
It is not certain as to who she meant by “her”, although she was referring to her “leader” in the earlier portion of her statement.
Sasikala, in an emotional speech, also told the Rajya Sabha that she was being forced to resign as an MP, and though she was grateful to Jayalalithaa for giving her opportunities, she was not willing to resign.
I am being compelled to resign from my constitutional post by my leader, who I have much gratitude for. I am thankful for her for giving me this post, but now she is compelling me to resign. I will not do it. Where is women’s safety in this country?
She further said, “Other than this forum, where can I go sir?”Later in the day, Sasikala addressed a press meet in New Delhi, where she said, “For the last two months, I was under pressure to resign from my Rajya Sabha seat.”
Denying that there was a connection between the IGI airport incident and her resignation, she alleged, “They have committed my RS seat to someone else, so they are forcing me to resign.”
Sashikala had slapped Tiruchy Siva, a member of DMK, the main state opposition, at Delhi airport on Saturday while waiting for a flight to Chennai. She claimed that she hit Siva for bad-mouthing Amma (J Jayalalithaa) in front of her and she couldn’t be a “silent spectator”, according toThe Hindu’s report.
Following this, Pushpa reportedly met Jayalalithaa at her residence in Chennai. The members of the Opposition paralysed the House temporarily over the issue.
Earlier, before the Tamil Nadu 2016 polls, pictures of Sasikala and Siva in intimate positions were leaked on social media.
A member of the AIADMK called Sasikala a “drama queen” when asked about her statement on the floor of the parliament.
Sasikala’s husband Thilagan has told the media that he is in no way connected to the incident, and that she is “doing politics”.
(With inputs from The Hindu and The News Minute)
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