On the night of February 7, O. Panneerselvam made waves at the Marina Beach. The acting chief minister of Tamil Nadu came unannounced, sat at the Jayalalithaa memorial for about 40 minutes, and unleashed a political storm.
As his convoy reached the site, there was surprise among the visitors and AIADMK cadres. Panneerselvam, clad in a white shirt and matching dhoti, entered the memorial and started meditating. Suspense built, as did the crowd. After a while, he came out with folded hands and watery eyes to address the waiting media and cadres.
For the first time in his long political career, the soft-spoken leader revolted. “I was forced to resign,” he said. “I was made chief minister immediately after Amma’s [Jayalalithaa’s] death, but was continuously humiliated.” He criticised V.K. Sasikala, the AIADMK general secretary and Jayalalithaa’s confidante, and said he was kept in the dark about Jayalalithaa’s health while she was in Apollo Hospitals.
A few kilometres away, Poes Garden came alive. Sasikala, uncharacteristically, came out of her residence to talk to the media. Though she did not seem to be seething with anger, the unease was writ large on her face. “The AIADMK is as strong as ever,” she told the media at 1.30am. “Action will be taken against OPS. If required, he will be expelled from the party.” At 1.37am, a statement removing Panneerselvam as party treasurer was released to the media.
But, the drama had just begun. Cadres waited outside Sasikala’s home till 3.30am, till they were asked to leave. “I will meet you all soon,” she said in a confident voice.
At 6.30am, as day broke, scores of loyalists had reached Panneerselvam’s home on Greenways Road, complimenting him on growing a spine, at last. “Panneerna summavada neanacheenga? (Did you think you could take Panneer for granted?),” screamed one of his supporters at the gate. There were smiles all around. AIADMK seniors such as Rajya Sabha MP V. Maitreyan, P.H. Pandian and Natham Viswanathan extended their support to Panneerselvam. “The true and loyal AIADMK cadres do not want Sasikala and her family,” said Pandian. “She has to step aside before evening. Else, I myself will go to file an FIR against her.” As time passed, the support for Panneerselvam grew, as did his confidence.
At the same time, anxiety filled the air at the AIADMK headquarters on Lloyds Road. At 9.30am, as Sasikala reached and alighted from her car, MLAs started streaming in. She wore a simple, pink sari with a high collar blouse, a round bindi and a long tilak—reminiscent of Jayalalithaa—and entered the office to preside over a meeting of legislators. This was the third meeting of MLAs in the past two weeks. In her four-minute speech, she called Panneerselvam a “betrayer” and made it clear that the party would walk forward under her. She then left, and the 129 MLAs, who attended the meeting, were herded into buses taken to private hotels near the airport. It was decided that the MLAs would call on President Pranab Mukherjee as Tamil Nadu Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao, who had been out of the state, had not announced a date to swear in Sasikala as the chief minister (she had been elected as the leader of the AIADMK legislature party on February 5). Earlier, the AIADMK had sent the resolution making Sasikala the party general secretary to the Election Commission, as is the norm. But, as it was in Tamil, the EC had requested a copy in English, which it is yet to receive.
It is perhaps for the first time since the death of former chief minister M.G. Ramachandran that Tamil Nadu is witnessing such political instability. Both Sasikala and Panneerselvam claim to have majority, but Sasikala seems anxious to prove it at the earliest. “I will take back my resignation and prove the majority on the floor of the assembly, if the governor wants me to,” said Panneerselvam. As an additional blow to the AIADMK, on February 8, he wrote to banks asking them to freeze AIADMK’s accounts. Interestingly, since Jayalalithaa’s death, support for Panneerselvam has been growing steadily. His handling of Cyclone Vardah was appreciated, as was his effort to pass the bill to legalise jallikattu. He had also maintained a good rapport with the Centre. “Tamil Nadu politics was changing for the better with Panneerselvam,” said author Vaasanthi. “He had a gentlemanly rapport with the bureaucrats and the opposition. There was no icon worship. But now, with Sasikala propped up, I fear blind reverence and silent obedience will return.”
Sources said Panneerselvam’s growing popularity was one of the reasons Sasikala reportedly made him resign. The cold war between the two, said sources, was fuelled when Prime Minister Narendra Modi hugged him at Jayalalithaa’s funeral. “The split, I feel, began in 2001 itself, after I took over as the chief minister for the first time and I gave it back to Amma in 2002,” said Panneerselvam. “Sasikala was against me since then. But, the real trouble for me started only after I took over as chief minister after Amma’s death. I should not have taken over.”
Sasikala, who seemingly had full faith in Panneerselvam, was apparently furious when he tried to assert himself during the jallikattu controversy. Sources said that he played to the gallery and did not consult any state officials or the bigwigs in Poes Garden.
Said a source close to Panneerselvam: “The entire Sasikala team is now driven by her nephews T.T.V. Dhinakaran and Dr Venkatesh. They are expecting her to be convicted in a disproportionate assets case, the verdict of which is expected some time next week. The family feels that if Sasikala becomes the chief minister, and if she is convicted, then someone from the family could take over the reins of the state. They don’t want Panneerselvam to continue as his stay in the chief minister’s office will not benefit anyone.” Apparently, Sasikala’s family wanted Panneerselvam to be at their beck and call, but he started asserting himself.
While some party seniors blame the DMK, some others blame the BJP-led Central government for Panneerselvam’s revolt. “OPS has simply played into the hands of the DMK, which wants to break the AIADMK at any cost—he was not coerced into proposing Chinnamma’s name,” said Education Minister K. Pandiarajan.
Apparently, Panneerselvam and other senior AIADMK leaders were not allowed to call on Jayalalithaa when she was hospitalised. “I will set up an inquiry commission headed by a retired justice to investigate the death,” said Panneerselvam. He said Jayalalithaa wanted party presidium chairman E. Madhusudhanan to lead the party and that she never wanted Sasikala or anyone in her family to do so.
The current political instability is expected to last until Governor Rao returns to Chennai. Said Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu: “The governor is studying the situation, constitutionally and legally. The Centre has no role to play. It is a disaster [that this has happened] in a state like Tamil Nadu and I do not want to make any comments on the internal problems of the AIADMK.”
Panneerselvam, however, is confident that the governor will allow him to take back his resignation and prove his majority in the assembly. Sources close to him said at least 30 MLAs would support him. The DMK, which seems to be waiting for the AIADMK to implode, could also do so. If that happens, he would be able to prove his majority and return to power. However, in the long run, the DMK might withdraw its support and the state could witness snap elections. By then, the AIADMK under Sasikala would have split and Panneerselvam would lead a strong third front.
Panneerselvam’s supporters hark back to 1972, when M.G. Ramachandran was expelled as the treasurer of the DMK. “The DMK leadership never thought that its expelled treasurer would rule the state,” says Rajarajan, a cadre from Theni district. “Sasikala, by expelling him, has made him fight tooth and nail against her.”
During their tenures, former prime ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Morarji Desai had tendered their resignations and had later gone to the president saying they could prove their majority in Parliament. The president had refused, saying that the resignations had been accepted and could not be withdrawn. In Panneerselvam’s case, sources said the governor might take the same decision and could even recommend president’s rule if there isn’t a clear majority. If this happens, the state would be under president’s rule for at least six months, and then go for early elections.
Sources in Poes Garden said Sasikala’s astrologer had advised her to take over as chief minister before February 14. “The astrologer’s advice is that if she doesn’t take over before February 14, she can never become chief minister,” said a source close to her.
Amid all the chaos, Jayalalithaa’s niece Deepa Jayakumar also extended her support to Panneerselvam. “If Deepa and OPS come out together and raise doubts about Jayalalithaa’s death, Sasikala’s political career is doomed,” said a cadre waiting outside Panneerselvam’s residence.
If Sasikala does prove her majority and takes control, winning an election would still be a tough task. Voters would not back her until all doubts regarding Jayalalithaa’s death are cleared.
