The last year was particularly lonelier, with fewer visits owing to pandemic-induced restrictions.
Sorry, I could not reply and also could not give you time to visit me, as there were several restrictions on people visiting me in the prison.” The four years in prison were the most difficult phase of her life, she says. As I inquire about her health, she says, “I got the letters you wrote to me when I was in prison. And, it is to document this friendship between the two-once the most powerful women in Tamil Nadu politics-that I have been waiting to meet Sasikala for years. But now, Sasikala, who has been well-versed with the internal politics of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) for more than 33 years, is set to make a comeback-all to keep her friend’s legacy alive. On her release from the Bengaluru prison this January, she had announced a step back from politics. Everyone thought that she would fade into oblivion post the developments following Jayalalithaa’s death on December 5, 2016, including her 2017 conviction in a disproportionate assets case. Sasikala was Jayalalithaa’s confidante, staying by her side in politics and life. Even though the mask covers her smile, I can see it in her eyes. “Vanakkam (greetings),” she says, her hands folded. Sasikala, clad in an all-grey salwar suit. “But Modi was always her friend.”Īs I set the empty mug down on the glass coffee table, in comes V.K. “Advani had huge respect for akka,” says Sasikala. Poes Garden had hosted several national leaders, like L.K.
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