Chennai: Reacting sharply to V.K. Sasikala’s election as leader of AIADMK Legislature Party, Opposition Leader M.K. Stalin on Sunday said the decision was against the will of “late Jayalalithaa and the people of Tamil Nadu”. He said Ms Sasikala was never the choice of late Jayalalithaa when she had to quit as chief minister in 2001 and again in 2011.

Also, in an interview to PTI released before Ms Sasikala’s election, Mr Stalin said people of Tamil Nadu did not vote for anyone from Jayalalithaa’s “household” to be chief minister. 

Speaking to reporters in Tiruvarur, the DMK leader said O. Panneerselvam was the choice of late chief minister even when she was indisposed at Apollo Hospitals. “The choice is against the will of late Jayalalithaa. The choice is against the will of the people of Tamil Nadu,” Mr Stalin said, adding that his party would face the elections in the state in a democratic manner.

“Jayalalithaa never gave position to Sasikala, be it in the party or in the government,” he said. Speaking to PTI, the DMK working president asserted that there are no “obstacles” to his leadership in the party and dismissed as “pointless” questions whether projecting him as the chief ministerial face would have won DMK power in the last year’s Assembly polls.

“One thing is certain that the government - in its present form - is clearly one that doesn’t have the explicit legitimacy of having been elected by the people. The people voted for a government to be headed by Ms Jayalalithaa in May, 2016 and not for one to be run by Mr. O Panneerselvam or any other person from Ms Jayalalithaa’s household,” Mr Stalin said.

“As a responsible party, the DMK is watching the situation closely. Any decision that we take will be within the framework of democracy, reflecting the popular will and aspirations of the people,” he said.