Under EPS, the AIADMK stands stronger but it must proceed with caution

The election of Edappadi Palaniswami as the interim general secretary of the AIADMK and expulsion of O Panneerselvam along with four associates are on expected lines. Panneerselvam, who had been the coordinator of the party steering committee since September 2017, wanted to seize the party apparatus despite losing hold over the 1.5 crore-strong cadre. His rival Palaniswami was working overtime winning friends and influencing people by hard work. Panneerselvam’s fate was sealed the day he approached the courts with complaints against Palaniswami and his associates for taking control of the party. The AIADMK bylaw states that no member should challenge the party diktats in courts. Though Panneerselvam tried to stall the general council meeting, the Madras High Court made it unequivocally clear that it cannot interfere in inner-party squabbles. Palaniswami and Panneerselvam, who were in opposite camps, came together in September 2017 to preempt the move by VK Sasikala and her family to hijack the AIADMK. The cadre stood behind Panneerselvam and Palaniswami because of their strong reservations against Sasikala and company, who were trying to convert the AIADMK into a family-run enterprise.

The ‘Mannargudi Mafia’, as the Sasikala clan is known, had usurped control of Jaya TV and Namathu MGR, much to the cadres’ chagrin. Had it not been the Supreme Court verdict of February 2017 which upheld the sentencing of Sasikala, her relations Elavarasi and Sudhakaran, Tamil Nadu would have seen Puratchithai Chinnamma (as Sasikala describes herself) subverting the popular mandate received by Jayalalithaa, and anointing herself the Chief Minister. Despite the party’s general council easing her out, Sasikala moves around claiming to be the AIADMK general secretary. If it was servility that elevated Panneerselvam to the Chief Minister’s chair thrice, Sasikala succeeded to a great extent in annexing the party structure through palace coup. Palaniswamy, who became Chief Minister by default in February 2017, proved to be a good administrator and tactician. His candidness won many a heart. Though the AIADMK did not win the 2021 Assembly election, it put up a commendable performance under his leadership and endeared Palaniswami to people. The AIADMK developments prove that the days of dynasty politics are coming to an end in India. If the cadres understand the emergence of Panneerslvam-Sasikala-Stalin axis to speed up the AIADMK’s disintegration, it might survive longer.