JOIN USWill come soon and set right the AIADMK, says V K Sasikala
V K Sasikala, long-time aide of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, has expressed interest to take a plunge into active politics to “set right” the AIADMK, which is beset with a factional feud between Edappadi K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam following the party's drubbing in the April 6 Assembly polls.
In telephonic conversations with her supporters, audio clips of which were leaked to the media, Sasikala is heard telling them that she was saddened with the public spat between Palaniswami and Panneerselvam and that she will “come soon” once the Covid-19 second wave subsides.
“Don't worry. We will set the party right soon. I will come after the Covid-19 outbreak is over,” Sasikala is heard telling Lawrence, her supporter and ex-AIADMK cadre from Poonamallee on the outskirts of Chennai.
In another audio clip, the former AIADMK interim General Secretary told Suresh from Thanjavur district that she will not remain a mute spectator to the party being ruined due to infighting.
“I will announce a good decision soon. I will come soon, and it is certain. They are fighting in public, and it pains me. We have made sacrifices to nurture the AIADMK and we won't remain a mute spectator to the party declining,” Sasikala told Suresh.
Sources in Sasikala's camp and Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) confirmed to DH that the audio clips were genuine, and that she has been talking to her supporters over the phone since Saturday. She has also begun receiving visitors at her T. Nagar residence.
Sasikala's outreach comes three months after she announced that she was “stepping aside” from politics after she came out of the Parapanna Agrahara prison in Bengaluru.
Weeks later, OPS said he never had any grudge against her and it is widely believed that the former deputy chief minister is in touch with Sasikala's nephew T T V Dhinakaran. While EPS would certainly stonewall any move to bring Sasikala back into AIADMK fold, OPS may not be averse towards such a development.
Sasikala's assertions come at a time when the factional feud between OPS and EPS is out in the open yet again. Though they never shared the best of relations, the two leaders were forced to put up a united face in the run-up to the Assembly elections.
After the party's defeat, the differences between them widened, and they had entered into a verbal duel during a meeting of the AIADMK Legislature Party on who will be the leader. However, EPS piped OPS to become the Leader of the Opposition. The two leaders now function independently by releasing separate statements on matters of public importance.
Sasikala, sources said, will wait for a couple of months before entering active politics, adding that she was closely monitoring the developments in the AIADMK.
“It is true that Chinamma has begun talking to her supporters over the phone. She will meet her supporters in the next few months. She is very active now, and she will plunge into active politics at the right time. She has a clear plan,” a source in her camp told DH.
Prof. Ramu Manivannan, Head of Department of Politics and Public Administration, University of Madras, told DH that the AIADMK will remain a strong party only if it is helmed by a strong leader like Sasikala.
“I do believe that she will be busy and engaged with reviving the party. Sasikala leading the party will always carry a lot of meaning. There will be resistance from EPS, but Sasikala will have some control over the AIADMK,” he opined.
Senior journalist R Bhagwan Singh said Sasikala, from the audio clips, seems ready to stake formal claim to Jayalalithaa's legacy. “In one of the audio clips, Sasikala says we struggled to protect the party, and nurture it (after the split in 1987 due to MGR's death). By saying that she shared the burden along with Jayalalithaa, she is claiming her legacy,” he said.