On 30 October, politicians of all colors in Tamil Nadu, led by Chief Minister MK Stalin, drew up a roadmap for Mausoleum: On the 114th birth anniversary of Pasumpon Muthuramaling Thevar at Pasumpon in Ramanathapuram district. But a program honoring the late freedom fighter and spiritual icon was eclipsed by the possible return of VK Sasikala, another member of his Mukkalothor Thevar Dal, to the AIADMK.
The aide of late Jayalalithaa, who was released from jail in January this year after a four-year-long imprisonment in a disproportionate assets case of Rs 66 crore, is suddenly in the news again. Sasikala had visited Thevar’s Pasumpon temple a day earlier in a convoy carrying the AIADMK flag. Sasikala was welcomed by supporters at several places during her week-long tour of Thanjavur, Madurai and Ramanathapuram districts of southern Tamil Nadu. Some of them were also from the AIADMK, the party which used her sentence in 2017 as an excuse to expel her, even though she was the most powerful general secretary at that time.
Former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam (OPS), who is also Mukkalothor, announced on October 25 that the AIADMK’s apex body would take a decision on the matter soon, raising his chances of a return to the party. This was precisely after the OPS handed over the golden armor that adorns the statue of Muthuramalinga Thevar to the Birthday Celebrations Committee. He was aware of Sasikala’s visit. Incidentally, seven years ago Jayalalithaa had given a gift to preserve the goodwill of the Mukkalothor community.
The OPS’s support prompted some AIADMK leaders to come out in open support of Sasikala and demand a discussion on her re-entry. Among them former minister Sailur K. Raju, party steering committee member JCD Prabhakar and former MP A. Anwar Raja. Rajha argues that the cadres want Sasikala back as she “had elected both the OPS and EPS (EK Palaniswami) as chief ministers”. Since 2017, both the OPS and the EPS have expelled several party functionaries for expressing support to Sasikala. At that time no voice of discontent was heard against EPS, who was the Chief Minister at that time. But, now out of power, EPS’s recent remarks about Sasikala, backed by AIADMK deputy coordinator KP Munusamy, has created a bit of a stir in the party. Both the leaders have said that re-accepting Sasikala would amount to handing over the keys of the party to a particular community and that it would be a matter of party founder MGR and his successor J.J. It would be tantamount to selling Jayalalithaa’s principles.
This has created a fresh stir in the AIADMK as the EPS now operates an influential group within the party. Former minister and senior party leader D. Jayakumar argues that the issue was resolved long back. “A decision in this regard was taken by the general council of the party and all district units of the party passed a resolution that those who are in touch (with Sasikala) should be expelled. The decision is good today and forever,” he says. Some leaders have suggested that another meeting of the General Council be convened soon to formally adopt a clear resolution to exclude the office of Secretary-General. The last meeting of the General Council was held on January 9 this year and one meeting is scheduled to take place.
But despite the opposition from EPS, the prospects of Sasikala’s return look brighter than ever. The ongoing tussle between the OPS and the EPS and the uncertainty over the future of the AIADMK in the cadre could be factors working in their favour. Supported by the OPS and the Mukkalothor community (as in caste basis), it is the leaders of northern and western Tamil Nadu who are determined not to allow Sasikala to return. Many people in the southern districts are confused about their return.
TeaThe AIADMK is still a formidable opposition party with 66 MLAs (in the 234-seat house). “The Mukkalothor community does not have numbers in the legislature party where the EPS has the upper hand. Still, there will be people within the EPS camp who do not want their Vellalar-Gounder community to dominate the party from the West. It will be a challenge for them to strike a balance,” said political commentator N. Saathiya Murthy says.
With the return of Sasikala, the equations of power will change. Observers say that he and nephew TTV Dinakaran, who started the separate Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, will benefit the most from the current struggle for influence in the AIADMK. Sasikala and her clan and clan would keep the party under their control as they did in the last phase of Jayalalithaa’s reign.
“It will take time for him to work his way back. Even if she succeeds, it will not be easy as there will be discontent and division in the AIADMK. The most important thing is that he should win the hearts of the people, which could take forever as he will always be seen as a usurer,” says political analyst Ramu Manivannan. AIADMK will become a ‘family party’ like DMK, Congress and others. That seems to be his destiny…”
The ruling DMK will also benefit from the setbacks within the AIADMK. Chief Minister Stalin last week stirred the ‘Tamil pride’ pot by announcing that July 16 would henceforth be observed as Tamil Nadu Day as the Assembly passed a resolution renaming Madras to Tamil Nadu on that day in 1967. CN Annadurai, the first Chief Minister of DMK. He informed that the AIADMK government in 2019 had decided to observe Tamil Nadu Day on November 1 (the day the states were bifurcated on linguistic lines in 1956). This prompted state BJP chief K. Annamalai to ask whether a child’s birthday is marked by the day of his birth or the day on which he is named.
Issues within the AIADMK may also give room for the BJP to become a strong opposition force in Tamil Nadu. As of now, on NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) and other issues, he is seen as anti-people in Tamil Nadu. “The BJP still does not understand the grassroots politics and the policy priorities of the voters of Tamil Nadu. They continue to focus on temples and religion-centred politics, where even the current Stalin government has outdone them. The BJP’s agenda still addresses only their committed Brahmin constituency, which they already have. They do not believe that in today’s Tamil Nadu, the number of ‘black shirt’ Ayyappa devotees outnumber the Dravidian atheist Periyar movement,” says Murthy. The BJP has yet to give up its pro-Brahmin outlook and this reality could not understand.
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