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Unease in AIADMK as Sasikala returns
Sasikala arrived in Chennai after a 23-hour road trip from Bengaluru during which she was greeted by large crowds. After her release from prison, she tested positive for the coronavirus disease and needed hospitalisation in the city.
The return to Chennai on Tuesday of expelled All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary V K Sasikala, who was released from a Bengaluru prison last month after serving a four-year jail sentence in a disproportionate assets case, appears to have infused a sense of unease in Tamil Nadu’s ruling party.
Party leaders have insisted on retaining a dual leadership (of chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami and his deputy O Paneerselvam) , but there is a section, comprising the state’s southern block and theTthevar community that Sasikala belongs to, which believes the AIADMK would lose out on those votes if she is kept out.
There is also criticism within the party of the way Palaniswami and Paneerselvam dealt with the return of Sasikala, who was a close aide to late party supremo and chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, who died in December 2016. Party leaders complained to the police about her use of an AIADMK flag on her car, and blocked access to a memorial to Jayalalithaa.
“We should have just ignored her,” said a veteran AIADMK leader on condition of anonymity. “Going to the police, closing the memorial ended up giving her unnecessary attention. Our advantage is that the public has a good perception of the present regime, especially after how we handled the Covid-19 crisis.”
Sasikala arrived in Chennai after a 23-hour road trip from Bengaluru during which she was greeted by large crowds. After her release from prison, she tested positive for the coronavirus disease and needed hospitalisation in the city.
Another narrative building in the AIADMK ahead of the assembly elections is that public sentiment is against Sasikala. “We had celebrated you as Chinamma after Amma, but the people didn’t accept you,” AIADMK spokesperson Vaigaichelvan, who goes by a single name, said in a speech in Sivaganga district on Tuesday.
Chinnamma is how a mother’s younger sister is addressed in Tamil. Jayalalithaa used to be addressed by party cadre as Amma (mother).
Palaniswami on Tuesday campaigned in Ranipet, where he attacked opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief MK Stalin, but didn’t say anything on Sasikala. He has in the past ruled out her return to the party.
Resurfacing of divisions within the AIADMK, in which Palaniswami and Paneerselvam have buried their factional rivalries, over Sasikala’s return could works to the advantage of the DMK, which is in an alliance with the Congress, having been out of power since 2011.
“Sasikala isn’t a charismatic leader to make an impact,” said political analyst TN Gopalan. “There is a possibility she may capture the party if it’s wiped out in the elections, but then the bigger question would be what is left of the party if it loses?”
On Tuesday, Sasikala’s nephew TTV Dhinakaran reiterated that Sasikala would continue her legal battle to reclaim the AIADMK. He said that actor Rajinikanth, who recently withdrew plans to enter politics, had enquired about Sasikala’s health, to ostensibly send a message that she was still relevant in Tamil Nadu.
Dinakaran started a party called Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) in 2018, which has the support of several Sasikala sympathizers.
A key question being asked is whether the Bhharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a junior ally of the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, would negotiate an amicable settlement between the AIADMK and the AMMK.
“If AIADMK and AMMK issue could have been resolved, it may have been smooth but they are at each other throats, wasting time when we should be focusing on election preparedness,” a BJP state leader said on condition of anonymity.
Political commentator Sriram Seshadri said: “It’s a no loss or gain polls for the BJP so they may choose to mediate between the factions, or sit it out because they can strengthen themselves even if one of the kazhagams (party) breaks down.”
A lot has changed in the AIADMK since Sasikala surrendered at a Bengaluru court on February 15, 2017 after being convicted in the disproportionate assets case. When she was in prison, Palaniswami and Paneerselvam buried their rivalries and expelled Sasikala and Dhinakaran from the party.
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