Daggers, When Crown At Stake

The five-hour executive committee meeting of the AIADMK on September 28 would be remembered for the ugly clash of words between two leaders who were chosen to lead by example—chief minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and his deputy, O. Panneerselvam.

Rather than provide joint leadership, the two exchanged angry words on the issue of chief ministerial candidate for the May 2021 assembly elections. “Jayalalitha made me the chief minister while you were made CM by Sasikala,” OPS fumed. “Sasikala made both of us chief ministers,” retorted EPS.

With both refusing to give up claim to the CM candidature, they were advised by party seniors to closet themselves in a room to iron out differences. Instead, they walked out after 20 minutes without an agreement. They were then asked to arrive at a decision and announce the candidate on October 7.

Ever since a minister declared in August that EPS would be the party’s CM face, the party has been enveloped in an open power struggle between supporters of OPS and EPS. Though a temporary truce was called, pro-EPS ministers continued to push to declare him as CM candidate. OPS baulked, pointing out that when the two factions had united in August 2017, he agreed to be deputy CM only for this term. OPS, who had filled in twice as CM when Jayalalitha was legally disqualified, and succeeded her after her death in December 2016, is also the party senior. He is peeved that EPS became the ‘accidental chief minister’ only because Sasikala’s chief ministerial designs was quashed by her conviction in the disproportionate assets case.

Once CM, EPS not only dumped Sasikala and her family but started projecting himself as a leader on par with Jayalalitha. By being on the right side of the Modi government and supporting it on crucial legislations he ensured that he was as much a BJP loyalist as OPS was. “To take on the DMK he opposed the Centre on the three-language formula and NEET, but otherwise EPS has proved to be an amenable ally for the BJP,” admits a state BJP leader.

A third dimension is added with the slated release of Sasikala from a Bangalore jail in February 2021. Her nephew T.T.V. Dhinakaran, who heads his breakaway AMMK, is apparently pushing for a merger, with Sasikala as party leader, and has been sounding out key AIADMK leaders. It is rumoured that a likely merger has the blessings of Union home minister Amit Shah, since only a united party with allies including the BJP can effectively fight the DMK alliance.

But AIADMK sources said the rumours were floated only to weaken EPS in his battle with OPS. Since Sasikala would never forgive EPS she might accept fellow Thevar OPS as a compromise CM candidate.0 “In the absence of Jayalalitha and Sasikala the AIADMK has been democratised. MLAs and ministers, who have tasted freedom, will be averse to returning as slaves to the Sasikala family,” observes Thuglak editor S. Gurumurthy.

By G.C. Shekhar in Chennai