The entire political episode in Tamil Nadu that began with V K Sasikala making an attempt at taking over as Chief Minister of the State, and ending up being ineligible for the position after the Supreme Court upheld a conviction in a disproportionate assets case, exposes just how power games in Indian politics are played. Had there not been a delay in the arrival of the Governor to Chennai, Sasikala may have had already taken oath of office as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and governed the State for just over a week before she would have been determined ineligible for the post following the Supreme Court order. She now, instead of occupying the CM’s position, will remain in a Bengaluru jail for four years.
But the political drama in Chennai is far from over and it’s already ten days that the State has been in a transition period, since February 5 when Sasikala was elected as the AIADMK legislature party leader. For a while it appeared that O Panneerselvam, who is currently holding the reins of power, was to have been only a stop-gap chief minister who occupied the office during the transition period, playing the role he had already done in the past when J Jayalalitha was in jail. At that time all he did was hold the Chief Minister’s seat for her until she could return to claim it. Then, it was Jayalalitha’s companion who came to claim the seat on behalf of the former chief minister.
This is not the first time in Indian politics that such a succession scene has been enacted, and definitely not the first time in Tamil Nadu. Jayalalitha herself came to occupy the post of Chief Minister after the death of M G Ramachandran, when she took over the reins of the party, sidelining MGR’s wife Janaki Ramachandran who had been invited by the party to become Chief Minister on his death and was in power for less than a month, before the party split with Jayalalitha heading one faction and Janaki another. The AIADMK is now also on the verge of splitting, with MLAs divided in their loyalties between Sasikala and Pannerselvam, though a majority are with the former.
Her conviction has not ended the story. The political vaudeville still plays on in Chennai, as there is now another contender to the post of Chief Minister with the Sasikala camp having elected E Palaniswamy as their legislative party leader, who has staked claim to the Chief Minister’s post. The Pannerselvam camp has rejected the new contender to the CM’s chair, which brings the party close to a split. It is now the governor who will play a key role in deciding who to invite to form the government.
The ugly standoff in Tamil Nadu is an example of power politics, where Sasikala with no political experience whatsoever and no claim to power became the AIADMK nominee for chief ministership only because of her closeness to the departed Chief Minister. Her taking over the leadership of the party after Jayalalitha’s death was an indication that it was only a matter of time before she would make the move to head the government in Tamil Nadu. Even as she surrendered in Bengaluru, she has already appointed trusted nephews in positions of power in the party, a move that will help her to direct the affairs of the party even as she serves her sentence in jail.
It is now a matter of time before the AIADMK splits. With two power centres, which are almost at war with each other, the hope of a stable government and a strong party recede. That has been the bane of Indian politics, especially the regional parties, where succession to positions of power is rarely smooth, but leads instead to battles that weaken the party, sometimes leading to their disintegration.
