A beleaguered AIADMK in Tamil Nadu finds itself in the middle of a shadowy power struggle between outlying contender VK Sasikala and the current ruling dispensation headed by Edappadi K Palaniswami, while the original rebel O Panneerselvam appears ambivalent on which side of the fence he would eventually slide into.
Sasikala, for her part, has been releasing audio records of phone conversations with loyalists. Most analysts expected some sort of political activity from the long-time aide of J Jayalalithaa, for her pre-election commitment to “stay away” from and not “totally exit” active politics had hinted that she would return. The phone conversations are filled with sycophantic implorations by select party cadre for Sasikala to return and take over. To them, she gives out non-committal, vague assurances: “We’ll do it, we’ll do it. We’ll set right everything…” she tells a loyalist in one of the tapes. The intent is clear: Sasikala is not letting it go that easily.
Palaniswami has been playing with a straight bat on the re-entry of VK Sasikala. Belonging to the Western Tamil Nadu cohort of the AIADMK, he led the party to a not-so-humiliating defeat in the recently concluded state assembly elections. His region, the Kongu belt in particular, had managed to stop what looked like a wave of support for the victorious DMK. Palaniswami and those in his support such as former law minister C Ve Shanmugam have been vocally warning against the return of Sasikala. Recently, Palaniswami said Sasikala was trying to “confuse the cadre”. It is seen as an attempt to put an end to the flurry of speculation triggered by the phone conversation releases.
Panneerselvam, on the other hand, has been playing with his cards close to his chest. Even ahead of the elections, speculation was rife that he was willing to accommodate Sasikala’s re-entry into the ranks of the AIADMK. In fact, in an interview before the polls, the softening of stance was clearly visible. Panneerselvam said Sasikala’s return may be considered if she agrees to the current coordinator-deputy coordinator setup of the AIADMK. From calling her a sworn enemy, Panneerselvam’s conciliatory attitude has confused many within the party.
The AIADMK’s continuing struggle for clear leadership is unlikely to bode well for the party in the long run, say analysts. The advent of the second wave of the coronavirus, besides the fact that the DMK government is so freshly minted, may take away the spotlight from the creeping vacuum at the top in the AIADMK, but the party might have to reckon with its existential question sooner than later, opine analysts.
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