VK Sasikala leaves everyone guessing, says will protest in 'another form'

Hours after meeting the party MLAs supporting her at a resort near here, AIADMK chief VK Sasikala, who three days ago staked claim to form the government in Tamil Nadu, on Saturday said her party would protest in "another" form, having waited till now.

She also wondered if the "delay" by Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao in inviting her to form the government was to facilitate a split in the AIADMK ranks.

"We waited till today. Tomorrow, we will protest in another form," Sasikala said when asked to comment on the absence of response from the Governor, 48 hours after she staked claim to form the government.

However, she did not elaborate what she meant by protesting in "another form".

Referring to the "time delay" by the Governor in inviting her to form the government, Sasikala said it appeared "as if the delay was happening to facilitate a split in our party".

Speaking to reporters here after returning from the resort where she held a meeting with her party MLAs, Sasikala said she met all the legislators and they were "all fine", adding that she had the satisfaction of meeting "AIADMK family members".

"I feel good," she said. "Please wait and see," Sasikala said when asked if her party was contemplating taking any legal steps in the matter.

Earlier in the day, Sasikala wrote a letter to the Governor, urging him to take immediate steps to swear her in as the chief minister at the earliest. She also informed the Governor that she was ready to parade the AIADMK MLAs supporting her before him.

In the letter, she wrote that on Thursday, she submitted an "elaborate presentation to invite me to form the government as I have an absolute majority", besides presenting the original letter and true copy of the resolution electing her as the AIADMK Legislature Party Leader.

Sasikala said she believed that the Governor would "act immediately to save the sovereignty of the Constitution, democracy and the interest" of Tamil Nadu.

Meeting partymen at her residence, Sasikala gave a veiled warning over the "delay" in being sworn in and said, "We are being patient because of our belief in fairness and trust in democracy. But, we can be patient only to a limit. Beyond that, we will decide what to do."

Meanwhile, the sprawling Raj Bhavan campus here in Guindy has come under a security blanket with a large police contingent keeping a vigil.