On Wednesday, at a time when the AIADMK top brass, including Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, were chalking out plans to finalise the seat-sharing formula with the BJP, the party received a shot in the arm. It was the decision of V.K. Sasikala, aide of former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa, to "step aside" from politics.
“It is her decision. I tried convincing her. I told her this is unnecessary now and asked her to remain in politics. But she did not agree. I cannot stop her from taking personal decision,” Sasikala’s nephew and AMMK leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran told the media soon after Sasikala announced her decision. Dhinakaran was visibly upset, as the decision of Sasikala came as a setback for him and the ‘Mannargudi family’, who have been trying to gain a foothold in the AIADMK. While Dhinakaran failed to convince her to stay on in politics, what prompted Sasikala to take such a decision—merely three weeks after she said, “I will get into active politics”—remains a mystery.
While there could be several reasons for her decision to step back from active politics, one particular reason could be the refusal of both Palaniswami and Panneerselvam to make peace with Sasikala and accommodate her in the party. Palaniswami was strongly opposed to her re-entry into the AIADMK fold, and Panneerselvam too did not have a different opinion.
According to highly placed sources in the BJP, Sasikala had decided to “remain silent” by February 14—the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Chennai to launch various welfare projects. Modi, in fact, held the hands of both Palaniswami and Panneerselvam on that day, suggesting that the AIADMK-BJP alliance was strong.
Although Sasikala harboured political ambitions when she came out of Parappana Agrahara prison in Bengaluru following completion of a four-year jail term in a disproportionate assets case, she did have her reservations. The rousing reception accorded to her when she reached Chennai was, according to sources, organised by politically active members of the Mannargudi family to influence her decisions.
However, the internal disputes in the family, the many arguments in the past three weeks inside her T Nagar residence, the legal cases and the intervention of a senior leader from a national party, according to sources, could be the reasons for Sasikala to come out with the announcement.
She is particularly troubled by a case involving purchase of properties with demonetised currency.
Besides, Sasikala, unlike Jayalalithaa, does not have the urge to be politically active and seize power from her "betrayers".
Meanwhile, on February 27, when Home Minister Amit Shah was in Chennai, holding talks with the AIADMK leaders over seat sharing, the topic of roping in Sasikala was discussed at length, say sources. However, Palaniswami and Panneerselvam were opposed to such a move, despite the BJP's attempts to convince the AIADMK leadership that keeping Sasikala and AMMK out might spoil the prospects of the alliance in at least 65 constituencies in south Tamil Nadu.
As the AIADMK refused to fall in line, the BJP, to avoid possible embarrassment in south Tamil Nadu, sources say, reached out to Sasikala. "Sasikala agreed. She was told she can reclaim her position after the elections,” says a senior AIADMK leader.
Sasikala gave up the fight, for now, to reclaim her position in the party if the AIADMK is defeated after the upcoming polls.
It is to be noted that her two-page statement was carefully worded—she never spoke about the ruling AIADMK or the BJP or even Palaniswami and Panneerselvam, but only asked the cadres to ensure Amma's golden rule is brought back and "enemy DMK is defeated”. The statement also said she will "step aside" and be the support as she used to be to Jayalalithaa. This suggests that the arrangement is temporary and the outcome of the elections will make her decide her next course of action.
