Chinamma returns to Chennai: Sasikala fights to reclaim AIADMK

Out of prison, V K Sasikala is now trying to claim the political legacy of her 'akka' Jayalalithaa

On January 27, V K Sasikala, the close confidant of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister late Jayalalithaa, was released from the Parappana Agrahara prison in Bengaluru after serving a four-year jail term in a corruption case.

Her final prison days were spent in Victoria Hospital, where she was being treated for Covid-19. When she was discharged from the hospital, Sasikala chose to ride in a car bearing an AIADMK flag. And when she reached Chennai a few days later, the expelled AIADMK leader told her supporters that she will plunge into active politics, jolting the AIADMK top brass.

Sasikala's meteoric rise, fall from grace and eventual return could be a script from a Tamil potboiler. That her fairy tale of a life unfolded in close proximity to a film star-turned-politician in movie-obsessed Tamil Nadu was quite apt.

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Even though she never held any formal position in the AIADMK, Sasikala was no ordinary woman. She was Jayalalithaa's shadow for over 30 years, having been her closest friend, companion and an indispensable advisor.

Sasikala addressed Jayalalithaa as akka (elder sister), wielded enormous power without any responsibility in the AIADMK, and managed the Poes Garden residence where the late Chief Minister lived for nearly half-a-century, deciding who gets access to her and who does not. In return, Jayalalithaa termed Sasikala as her 'udanpirava sagodhari' (sister who is not related by blood).

As Jayalalithaa's death left a huge leadership vacuum in the AIADMK, everyone in the party put their weight behind Sasikala, eventually catapulting her as the General Secretary, the top-most post in the 48-year-old party.

But things turned topsy-turvy when she attempted to attain the chief minister's post overthrowing Panneerselvam, the man chosen by Jayalalithaa to stand-by for her twice in the past when she had to quit owing to court cases. Panneerselvam rebelled against Sasikala, ostensibly at the behest of the BJP, applying brakes to her chief ministerial aspirations.

And fate would have it that Sasikala had to spend four years at the Parappana Agrahara prison in Bengaluru in a disproportionate assets (DA) case in which Jayalalithaa was also convicted. Things changed dramatically as Sasikala cooled her heels in the prison. Edappadi K Palaniswami, hand-picked by her as chief minister, patched up with Panneerselvam and removed her as the general secretary. Eventually, the party slipped out of Sasikala's hands.

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Jaya-Sasikala bonding

The friendship between Jayalalithaa and Sasikala dates back to the 1980s. Introduced to Jayalalithaa by seasoned bureaucrat V S Chandralekha, Sasikala, wife of government PRO M Natarajan, was running a video rental outlet and was looking for clients for her fledgling business. Soon, Sasikala began video-graphing Jayalalithaa's political events and both developed a close bonding over the years.

Though Sasikala was Jayalalithaa's closest companion, their relationship did have ups and downs. Jayalalithaa threw Sasikala out of the Poes Garden residence and expelled from AIADMK twice – in 1996 and 2011 – for “conspiring against her” only to take her back within a few months.

Sasikala: The power woman

Sasikala was a balm to Jayalalithaa's loneliness, especially when she was coming to terms with the untimely death of her mother Sandhya. The politically shrewd Natarajan helped successfully manoeuvre Jayalalithaa's hold over the AIADMK as successor to M G Ramachandran after his death, checkmating the claim of his widow V N Janaki.

Sasikala went on to become the most powerful woman in the AIADMK and the party-led governments, next only to Jayalalithaa.

As Jayalalithaa chose to be inaccessible, Sasikala became the bridge between her ministers, party leaders, and even government officials, who took the CM's instructions from her No. 2. That is how she became 'chinamma'.

Sasikala controlled the party, hand-picking people and placing them in powerful positions, thereby earning their loyalty.

Can Sasikala rally the party behind her once again?

But much water has flown down the bridge since then. People whom Sasikala carefully placed in higher positions are against her and her nephew T T V Dhinakaran. Moreover, today's AIADMK is not the same as it was when Jayalalithaa was alive – it is no secret that the BJP now takes decisions for the regional party, which is vulnerable to the pressures exerted by the saffron outfit.

As expected, she has vowed to “reclaim” the AIADMK but there has not been much support from ministers or senior leaders of the party so far.

It would be a herculean task for Sasikala to take control of the party now unless the majority of the leaders put their weight behind her or she brokers peace with the BJP. Also, several cases regarding Sasikala are still pending before various investigating agencies and they may come to haunt her any time.

In the given scenario, it remains to be seen whether Sasikala can ultimately take over her akka's party.