With Maharashtra Governor and acting Tamil Nadu Governor C Vidyasagar Rao frequently changing his plans to visit Chennai, AIADMK General Secretary and CM-designate VK Sasikala has alleged that her swearing-in as Chief Minister was being deliberately delayed by Rao.

However, Ministers and MLAs who were to leave for New Delhi to seek President Pranab Mukherjee’s intervention to end the crisis, have been told to drop their plan at the eleventh hour after they were informed that the Governor will be arriving here on Thursday afternoon.

Governor Rao had kept away from Chennai for the last three days triggering speculation whether he had reservations on swearing-in Sasikala.

It was also believed that the Governor wanted to wait till the verdict of the Supreme Court, expected next week, on whether Sasikala, a close aide of late CM Jayalalithaa, was guilty of corruption charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act, in the 21-year-old Rs 66 crore disproportionate assets case.

Hours after Chief Minister O Panneerselvam made sensational allegations against Sasikala, she claimed her rival camp playing into the hands of the opposition.

On the other hand, OPS reiterated his stand, saying that he was subjected to humiliation and was forced to resign. He favoured an inquiry panel led by a Supreme Court judge to look into the circumstances leading to late Jayalalithaa's hospitalization and the line of treatment meted out to her while Sasikala said any such inquiry would prove her care for the departed leader.

According to AIADMK sources, Panneerselvam had proposed her name and the other MLAs seconded it to show unanimity in the party. Sasikala belongs to the Thevar community, which has a dominant say in the AIADMK.

Interestingly, both Sasikala and other AIADMK leaders like Lok Sabha deputy speaker M Thambidurai have exonerated the Centre from the charge of influencing OPS. They assert the plot was scripted by none other than Stalin and the DMK.(India TV)