Tamil Nadu: Can united front of the AIADMK survive?

CHENNAI: As muscle flexing continued in the AIADMK, there are apprehensions in the party that the open tussle for ‘single’ leadership could take an ugly turn ahead of the June 23 general council meeting. While mediation and deliberations were more subdued on Sunday, tension between the groups owing allegiance to AIADMK coordinator OPS and joint coordinator EPS continued to ratchet up with no sign of a patch-up.
“Efforts are on to sort out the issue,” AIADMK senior spokesman C Ponnaiyan told TOI. “At least 70% of the office bearers feel the party should transition to a single leadership structure. The issue was not raised by EPS or OPS but functionaries, at the June 14 meeting, as they felt a single leader could be more authoritative and bring about discipline,” said Ponnaiyan.

In their pre-patch up agreement in 2017, the two leaders had chosen to set aside animosities for the sake of unity of the party and forestall takeover attempts by J Jayalalithaa’s aide V K Sasikala. But there is a difference in the leadership battle then and now. In 2017, after Jayalalithaa’s death and Sasikala’s incarceration, EPS was in a position of strength, having taken on the administrative mantle, that of Tamil Nadu chief minister. The carrot dangled before OPS were the posts of deputy CM and that of AIADMK convenorcoordinator. With the AIADMK having lost the April 2021 assembly election, party politics matter more now and with the reins of control seemingly in OPS’s hands, the EPS camp has been rather restless.
“The leadership issue has also got much to do with power politics and about who is bigger and stronger,” said a senior AIADMK leader, worried about the turn of events. With the AIADMK alliance in disarray and relatively smaller partners showcasing solo leadership, there’s a sense of urgency in the EPS camp to ramp up demand for the switch from dual leadership to a single leader for the AIADMK, said an EPS loyalist seeking anonymity.
The BJP’s steady growth in Tamil Nadu and the fact that its state leader, K Annamalai, a vellalar gounder himself, is whipping up political frenzy is believed to be causing some unease among EPS loyalists. “Chief minister M K Stalin’s total control over the DMK, the grooming of heir-apparent Udhayanidhi Stalin, the recent anointment of Anbumani Ramadoss as PMK president and NTK leader Seeman’s political evolution have perhaps triggered an existential crisis in the AIADMK and more so in the EPS camp,” said the Palaniswami supporter.
While EPS has remained silent so far on the leadership row, his supporter and former minister D Jayakumar revealed details of the discussion on the issue at the June 14 AIADMK meeting to journalists. This was clearly stage managed. “He had no business doing that,” said OPS. “In the first place, the single leadership issue was not on the agenda. It was sprung on me. Moreover, there is no need for this debate now since only recently the coordinator and joint coordinator of the party was reappointed. All this is bound to create confusion,” said the AIADMK coordinator. Panneerselvam gave media interviews with a vengeance, conveying his angst over attempts to ease him out of the leadership role in the party.
“But the dual leadership structure is only a temporary arrangement. The general council is a powerful body, which can take the decision to end the coordinator-joint coordinator arrangement or appoint a general secretary or terminate the post,” said Ponnaiyan, who also noted that it is all only in a discussion stage. Can the AIADMK afford a split now? During the AIADMK’s tenure in Tamil Nadu, post Jayalalithaa, the two leaders had maintained a strained cordiality. But the present leadership crisis can cost the party heavily if it ends in a split. OPS is known to turn to his benefactors in the BJP for help in times of crises.
“With its eyes set on Tamil Nadu for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, an AIADMK in disarray is the last thing the BJP would want. It is bound to reach out to the two leaders and advise them to set right their house,” said a senior AIADMK leader. Some hope for yet another compromise formula. But if the status quo does not continue it would be interesting to see who emerges the winner — EPS, the czar of the gounder belt, who has more support from senior functionaries or OPS, a thevar community leader, perceived to have more cadre backing.