With Sasikala at its helm, the AIADMK enters a period of uncertainty

The drama that ensued after the death of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on December 5 saw its final act on Thursday. As expected, VK Sasikala, Jayalalithaa’s close aide of three decades, was appointed as the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s general secretary, the party’s top post.

Sasikala did not attend the general council meeting that unanimously nominated her as the new leader. Instead, senior leaders, including Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, took the resolution to her to persuade her and seek her approval for the appointment.

The optics on Thursday were stunningly similar to the days of Jayalalithaa. Panneerselvam and other senior leaders stood in a line near Sasikala as they handed over the resolution to make her the party supremo. In full public view, Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker, M Thambidurai, with folded hands, pleaded with her to guide the AIADMK for the betterment of Tamil Nadu. “Your existence is because of Amma [Jayalalithaa]. We will exist because of you,” he told her.

Sasikala placed the document near Jayalalithaa’s portrait at Veda Nilayam, the former chief minister’s residence at Poes Garden, as if to take her blessings, and agreed to the proposal with teary eyes.

This made her AIADMK’s third successive woman leader after MG Ramachandran’s wife VN Janaki, who held the post briefly between 1987 and 1989, and Jayalalithaa who led the party from 1989 till she died earlier this month.

Within minutes after her nomination, the hoardings at AIADMK headquaters on Avvai Shanmugam Salai, which in the morning only had the photograph of Jayalalithaa, were replaced with another one containing portraits of both Sasikala and Jayalalithaa.

Addressing the media outside Veda Nilayam, Panneerselvam said the resolution took effect immediately and Sasikala was the leader from the moment she accepted the proposal. However, when asked if she would have a role in the government, all that Panneerselvam offered was a broad smile.

Sasikala is likely to visit the party headquarters on January 4 and make her maiden speech as the leader, as per AIADMK insiders. An exhaustive tour plan has been put together in an attempt to reach out to party cadres. She is expected to visit all 32 districts in Tamil Nadu in the coming months and will meet families of those who – reportedly – died due to the sorrow and shock of Jayalalithaa’s passing.

Sasikala’s elevation as AIADMK supremo has pushed the party on an uncertain path. Over the last three decades, she and her family members were known to control politics from behind the scenes. Thus, no one knows what her political beliefs are and where she stands on the ideological spectrum.

Though there was always the “Jayalalithaa template”, marked by authoritarian control and populism, to follow, Sasikala does not have the former chief minister’s mass appeal to effectively implement these strategies. Also, the Jayalalithaa’s disproportionate wealth case, in which Sasikala is a co-accused, is hanging over her head like the Damocles’ sword.

Tough times ahead

Sasikala’s long association with Jayalalithaa was the only factor that legitimised her takeover of the party leadership. She met Jayalalithaa in the mid 1980s. Barring two brief intervals in 1996 and 2011, when she was sent out of Poes Garden residence for “anti-party” activities, Sasikala has shadowed Jayalalithaa every minute in the last three decades.

But she had a price to pay. The dominant public perception about her and her family members was that they took advantage of their proximity to power to benefit financially. In attempts to get rid of the taint of corruption on Jayalalithaa, party members have pointed to Sasikala as the brain behind the corruption.

Therefore, Sasikala’s foremost task would be to slowly set right this negative public image. A public relations team has been put together to devise a strategy to shape her image, AIADMK insiders said. The team will soon reach out to former journalists to understand how the media viewed her and what could be done about it, these party officials said.

Media management was a key element in the construction of Jayalalithaa’s persona. The former chief minister clamped down on criticism through defamation cases and, at times, cutting off government advertisements to those who were too critical about her policies. But AIADMK party workers fear that replicating this strategy could turn counter-productive as Sasikala was just beginning her political career and antagonising the media may not be a sound game plan.

There was also the question of dealing with the Bharatiya Janata Party and Panneerselvam. In the last two weeks, clamour for making Sasikala the chief minister has gained momentum.

Panneerselvam did not react to such demands, but the BJP came to his support and called him an “efficient leader”. The slew of Income Tax raids in Tamil Nadu last week, including on former chief secretary P Rama Mohana Rao and sand mining contractor J Shekar Reddy, have been viewed inside the AIADMK as a message from the Centre to Sasikala to back off. But Rao came out all guns blazing and targeted Panneerselvam for not reacting to raids at Fort St George, the seat of power in Tamil Nadu. In contrast to the chief minister’s silence, AIADMK spokespersons took on the BJP and slammed the manner in which the raids were conducted with the help of central security forces.

On Thursday, Panneerselvam was at his diminutive best when he proposed the name of Sasikala for general secretary’s post. But it remains to be seen how he would react if Sasikala decides to target his chair. For the moment, Sasikala’s lack of public appeal is advantageous to Panneerselvam. Even if she takes over as chief minister, she would have to contest the RK Nagar Assembly seat, held by Jayalalithaa, by-election in the coming months. This could be a tough ask.

Even on Thursday, Sasikala did not come to the general council meeting after accepting the leadership. As per the party constitution, a general secretary has to be elected by all primary members and not just those who constitute the general council. This rule was brought in by party founder MGR in the 1980s and was retained by Jayalalithaa. Thus, while AIADMK leaders have declared her the general secretary, a formal election with the concurrence of every level of the organisation structure may have to take place in the coming months. Thus, an image makeover was necessary to ensure cadre support as well.

Further, that the disproportionate assets case is pending before the Supreme Court could be a discouraging factor to attempt a shot at the chief minister’s post immediately.

Sasikala could also face trouble from outside. Jayalalithaa’s niece Deepa Jayakumar has been vocal against the power transition in the AIADMK. On Wednesday night, she put out a statement asserting that she would make the right decision at the right time. This was being viewed in the AIADMK as an indication of her intent to enter politics and challenge the legitimacy of Sasikala to lead the party. Already, posters exhorting Deepa Jayakumar to launch a new party have cropped up all across Tamil Nadu.

In this context, the Madras High Court’s observations on Thursday, that Jayalalithaa’s death raised suspicions, was a severe blow to Sasikala team. Other than the doctors, only Sasikala had access to Jayalalithaa for the entire duration of 75 days that the former chief minister was hospitalised. The court issued notices to the state government and the Centre on a public interest litigation and asked why the former chief minister’s body should not be exhumed to establish the truth. This has come in the form of adding strength to Deepa Jayakumar’s demands that the medical reports of Jayalalithaa should be made public.

On the opposition side, Sasikala will have to face a resurgent Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam where MK Stalin is all set to become the working president in January. The DMK will not miss any opportunity to create a rift in the ruling party.