A tacit retreat? By stepping aside, Sasikala has given AIADMK an advantage

With her announcement of withdrawing from politics, V K Sasikala became the second key figure to bow out of the hurly-burly ahead of the elections in Tamil Nadu on April 6. Actor Rajinikanth had earlier decided to pull out of the race, citing health reasons.

In Sasikala’s case, her political health, not physical wellbeing, was the reason for this surprise announcement. Those directly affected by her decision are still struggling to understand what triggered the move and its implications.

First, it is not clear whether Sasikala is quitting politics for good or only temporarily. Obviously, it’ll have implications for the ruling AIADMK, which sacked Sasikala in 2017, and its rival DMK. Her nephew T T V Dhinakaran and his three-year-old party, the Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam (AMMK), will now have to reassess their role.

On February 8, Sasikala returned to Chennai after a four-year imprisonment in a disproportionate wealth case. Supporters of her faction, led by Dhinakaran, organised a road show enroute and it took 22 hours for her convoy to reach Chennai from Bengalaru, which otherwise would take 6-7 hours. 

Upon her arrival, Sasikala said she would “play an active role in politics”. She held meetings with close aides and some party leaders until February 24.

On March 3, however, she announced she was stepping aside from politics and appealed to all loyalists of Jayalalithaa to unite against “the evil force, that is the DMK”. In her two-page letter, Chinnamma, as Sasikala is fondly called, stated: “I never showed interest in party postings or power. I will stay away from politics and pray to god that Amma’s rule continues.”

K P Munusamy, deputy coordinator of the AIADMK, said: “Though quitting politics was her personal decision, she wished for the Amma government to return.”

Dhinakaran, on the other hand, said while his aunt’s decision saddened him, it was aimed at uniting Jayalalithaa’s loyalists. He said his party will contest the elections and talks to form an alliance are on.

The question is whether he will get closer to the AIADMK as the BJP desires -- a move that may also safeguard his political career. The AIADMK, led by Chief Minister E K Palaniswami (EPS) and Deputy Chief Minister O Paneerselvam (OPS), isn’t keen on Dhinakaran’s return.

State Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar said his party had already decided against having any truck with Sasikala and Dhinakaran. He quoted the CM’s description of the AMMK as “a pack of foxes”, whereas “the AIADMK constitutes of mighty lions”.

The M K Stalin-led DMK is also in a shock. The party was hoping that Sasikala's return would create confusion within the AIADMK, thus helping the DMK.

People close to Sasikala and political experts said her announcement may have hidden agenda. Sumanth Raman, a political analyst, said Sasikala will stay away from politics until the elections. “If the EPS government falls, she will return. If EPS wins, he will become an indispensable leader and Sasikala will not be able to return.” 

He said it was an open secret that the BJP did not want Sasikala to destabilise the AIADMK-BJP alliance.  The AIADMK has allocated 20 seats to the BJP for the ensuing elections, along with the Kanyakumari parliamentary seat. On the other hand, there is no deal on seat-sharing between the DMK and the Congress yet.

Raman noted Dhinakaran was in New Delhi a few months ago and met senior BJP leaders. On January 14, S Gurumurthy, who is close to BJP leadership, said the AIADMK should take Sasikala back.

Raman agreed Sasikala's decision will have an impact on the AMMK, considering she was its moral authority. "It will be difficult for the AMMK to survive without Sasikala," he said, adding chances are that the AMMK's 4-5 per cent potential votes will now go to the EPS faction.

An AIADMK leader close to Sasikala said if the party sweeps the polls, she can take credit for not letting any division in its committed voters.

The other possibility is letting the EPS-OPS and the Dhinakaran factions prove their ability in electoral politics. If they fail, she will be seen as the sole saviour of the AIADMK by the cadre. “It’s a big risk, but if she gets the calculation right, she will return with full power,” he said.

From Chinnamma to unwanted

For nearly three decades, V K Sasikala remained the shadow of the late J Jayalalithaa.  She hails from an agricultural family in Mannargudi. Although her family wasn’t rich, it belonged to the influential Kallar community. Today, her assets are valued over hundreds of crores.

She married M Natarajan, who was an employee in the Directorate of Information and Public Relations. Then Chief Minister M Karunanidhi even presided over their wedding.

Natarajan lost his job during the Emergency and remained unemployed between 1976 and 1980.  While he was eventually reinstated, it was presumably during the intervening period Sasikala started a video rental shop in Chennai.

Sasikala was introduced to Jayalalithaa, who was then the propaganda secretary of the AIADMK. The association developed into trust as Natarajan and his wife stood by Jayalalithaa through one of her darkest hours, following the death, in 1987, of her mentor and then chief minister M G Ramachandran.

Sasikala and her husband moved into Veda Nilayam — Jayalalithaa’s Poes Garden residence — soon after MGR’s death. But in 1990, Natarajan was forced to leave the house.

Sasikala emerged as power centre, deciding who could meet Jayalalithaa and controlling Jaya TV, the party mouthpiece. Jayalalithaa once called Sasikala her “own sister” and she soon became Chinnamma.

After Jayalalithaa's death in 2016, Sasikala was appointed AIADMK general secretary. In February 2017, then CM Panneerselvam rebelled against Sasikala. A week later, the Supreme Court upheld the trial court’s order in the disproportionate assets case, sentencing Sasikala to a four-year imprisonment.  Before she was jailed, Pannerselvam was forced to quit; she handpicked Palaniswami to lead the government. EPS instead patched up with Panneerselvam in August 2017, expelling Sasikala and Dhinakaran, who was entrusted to lead the AIADMK in her absence.