Jaya expels 2 more Sasikala family members from AIADMK

Days after she expelled her close aide Sasikala and 13 others from the party, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief J Jayalalithaa on Thursday removed two more relatives of her former confidante from the primary membership of the party.

Sasikala's brother-in-law M Palanivel and another relative Kaliyaperumal were expelled from AIADMK.

In a statement in Chennai, Jayalalithaa directed her party workers not to have any links with the two.

Cracking the whip against Sasikala, her long-time aide, her family members and associates amid reports that they were allegedly interfering in political and administrative matters, Jayalalithaa had on Dec 19 expelled 14 persons.

Sasikala's husband M Natarajan and Jayalalithaa's disowned foster son V N Sudhakaran were among those who faced the sudden action, seen as an attempt by Jayalalithaa to nip in the bud reported moves by Sasikala's family to dominate the party and influence the AIADMK government.

This is the second time since 1996 that Jayalalithaa has distanced herself from Sasikala, considered a power centre in the party, after 1996 when the two were arrested by the DMK government. However, both patched up later.