Chennai, May 29(BPNS)
The AIADMK which lost the 2021 assembly elections after ten continuous years in power ,is now facing rough weather with its two most powerful leaders, former Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) and Deputy Chief minster O Panneerselvam( OPS) engaged in a fight over political supremacy within the party.
While OPS is a Thevar and a former loyalist to late Chief minister J Jayalalithaa and her best friend VK Sasikala. Incidentally both Sasikala and OPS are from the Thevar community ,considered as fighters and warriors among the various caste denominations of Tamil Nadu.
After MK Stalin become Chief minister of Tamil Nadu, he had taken a deliberate attempt for a make over and to emerge as a consensus Chief minister and had even formed a committee of legislators drawn from all political parties in the house .This has given him much appreciation among the media and general public and Stalin ,is trying to best to wade off the Cult politics which was practiced in the state during the hey days of Jayalalithaa and his father M Karunanidhi.
With Stalin emerging as a popular Chief minister, AIADMK has to set apart all the differences of opinion between their main leaders ,Edappadi K Palaniswami and O Pannerselvam. The theory going rounds in Tamil Nadu is that they have to be together or it could lead to AIADMK getting dissipated in the days to come as a wounded Sasikala and TTV Dhinakaran are waiting in the wings to try and make a comeback in the party and to forge an alliance with OPS who is from the Thevar community as much as they are.
However political observers are of the opinion that at present the minor rifts between the two main leaders of the AIADMK has not reached a position wherein there is no comeback. But if the rift persists and Sasikala and Dhinakaran tries to make a comeback, it could lead to a major rift with EPS faction may use all the armoury it has to block the entry.
EPS is banking on the support of BJP national leadership and Prime minister Narendra Modi to come to his support and do the firefighting on his behalf and to continue with the present arrangement as the BJP. It may be noted that the saffron party has got four legislators in the assembly after the 2021 elections and the party does not want the current relationship between EPS and OPS to be broken and therby the AIADMK fizzling out.
If the AIADMK does not settle the differences between EPS and OPS with a warfooting ,trouble could brew and even the BJP leadership and the Union government may not be able to prevent the AIADMK facing a tough weather which is not to the liking of the BJP.
C Rajeev, Political analyst and Director, Centre For Policy and Development Studies,a think tank based out of Chennai while speaking to BPNS said, “The two tall leaders of AIADMK at present are Edappadi K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam and if these leaders continue to fight, there could be a major realignment in the party and the possibility of Sasikala and Dhinakaran forcing a comeback and extending their support to OPS to capture AIADMK could not be ruled out. However this might not happen as the BJP at the center would throw its weight behind for a mutual agreement between the two warring leaders, EPS and OPS as they want to piggy ride on the AIADMK to make its mark in TN”.
The days to come will be interesting as far as AIADMK politics is concerned with Stalin emerging powerful and the party out of power, there could be fissures within the AIADMK.
