Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswamy and his deputy O Panneerselvam are facing the biggest test in their political career as the BJP national leadership wants the duo to accommodate VK Sasikala, former aide to J Jayalalithaa, in the AIADMK led alliance to fight the April 6 Assembly election.
Palaniswa1`my, who ruled out any possibilities of Sasikala getting accommodated in the AIADMK would be doing a vault face if he agrees to the diktat of the BJP. The Hindutwa party’s directive to the AIADMK leadership is a follow up to a report by various intelligence agencies that Sasikala and her nephew TTV Dhinakaran are capable of spoiling the chances of the AIADMK’s winnability in 40 to 45 constituencies in southern districts of Tamil Nadu.
“The BJP wants the AIADMK to win the election because then it could remote control Tamil Nadu from New Delhi. But both Palaniswamy and Panneerselvam know well that if they yield to the command of the BJP, it would be the end of their political careers,” said Sam Rajappa, long time observer of Tamil Nadu politics.
Panneerselvam, who was sworn in as Chief Minister following the demise of Jayalalithaa on Dec 5, 2016 was ousted by Sasikala and her close relations to pave the way for her to become chief minister.
Though she was unanimously elected as chief minister by the AIADMK legislature, the Supreme Court order upholding the Bangalore Special Court’s verdict sentencing Sasikala to four years rigorous imprisonment came the next day. That spoiled her chioef ministerial dreams as he had to surrender in Parappana Agrahara Central Prison to serve her term.
Palaniswamy was handpicked by Sasikala to stand in as chief minister in her absence. But when Dhinakaran, her nephew decided to take over the dministration by ousting Palaniswamy, the BJP intervened and made EPS and OPS to patch up. The duo eased out Sasikala and Dhinakaran from the party and established their control over the AIADMK and the government.Now that Sasikala has come back to Chennaiafter serving her term in the jail, she has staked her claims. This has upset the Palaniswamy-Panneerselvam duo. Dhinakaran , who had launched Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhakam (AMMK), claiming that the AIADMK has become history made a volte face and declared that the outfit had been launched to retrieve the AIADMK.
Palaniswamy had successfully completed four years in power and has been looking at a second shot at the chief minister’s chair when the BJP has asked him to take the AMMK into the alliance fold. Amit Sha, union home minister, who was in Chennai on Sunday is believed to have told EPS and OPS tp patch up with Chinnamma (as Sasikala is addressed by her cadre).
Sasikala belongs to the Thevar community, which is quite powerful in southern districts. In Dravidian Tamil Nadu, it is the caste factors that determine the fate of elections. The Vanniyar dominated PMK walked away with 23 seats from the AIADMK in Saturday’s seat sharing talks. The BJP has been offered 20 seats by the AIADMK but the former expressed unhappiness over what has been offered to it. Seat sharing talks between the AIADMK and the BJP have been held up because of the uncompromising stance of both the parties.
AS Gurumurthy, editor, Thuglaq and advisor to Tamil Nadu BJP had said that while he was not averse to the AIADMK’s alliance with the AMMK, he would strongly oppose any kind of merger between the two parties. “Though both the DMK and AIADMK are corrupt, the DMK is a dynastic party while the AIADMK is democratic. If Sasikala and her family members return to the AIADMK, that will be the end of the AIADMK founded by MGR and nurtured by Jayalalithaa,” Gurumurthy had said on January 15 during the Thuglaq Founder’s Day.
While the DMK is expected to ink the deal with Congress in a day or two, the AIADMK is faced with issues like the anger of Vijayakant-led DMDK which wants an equal number of seats as was given to PMK. A clear picture of the political landscape before the assembly polls would emerge in three days, according to sources in AIADMK.