Renewed chorus in AIADMK to accommodate Sasikala and Dhinakaran

Successive electoral debacles have given rise to a renewed clamour in the principal opposition AIADMK to open the doors for VK Sasikala and her nephew, TTV Dhinakaran, who were expelled from the party in 2017. Significantly, a resolution was passed to the effect at a meeting of Theni District AIADMK, in the presence of party Coordinator, O Panneerselvam (OPS). Ironically, it was the prime demand of OPS for the merger of his faction with the one led by former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswamy (EPS). It had found an echo in Coimbatore in Western TN with former legislator, VC Arukutty, openly endorsing it. Will EPS, who is steadfastly opposed to it, continue to stonewall it or be forced to eat a humble pie? Writes ETV Bharat's, MC Rajan.

Chennai: Even as ousted AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala continues to keep a low profile, there is a growing clamour for her inclusion in the AIADMK along with her nephew, TTV Dhinakaran. This comes in the wake of the party's miserable outing at the recently concluded civic elections in which the ruling DMK and its allies registered a thumping victory.

Brutally bruised, the party, out of power after a decade, is apparently looking towards the former confidante of the AIADMK supremo, to revive its fortunes. Interestingly, this time the demand for accommodating the duo, without any preconditions, has come from the Theni district, the home turf of OPS. A meeting of party functionaries also passed a resolution to this effect in the presence of OPS, kicking off a fresh debate within the party.

For her part, Sasikala who received a rousing reception on her release from the Bengaluru prison in January last had announced political sanyas ahead of the Assembly election only to break it months later. She also kept herself distanced from Dhinakaran, who is running the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK), a splinter group of the AIADMK. But for her visit to Jayalalithaa's samadhi and occasional press releases, she remains aloof from politics. But, she visited OPS at the latter's residence when his wife passed away.

Soon after the civic poll loss, the party functionaries in the Theni district gathered at the farmhouse of OPS and passed the resolution. With OPS maintaining a studied silence, analysts see it as a move to checkmate EPS, who has an iron grip over the legislature wing of the party since most of the AIADMK MLAs are from the Western region or the Kongu belt. Most of the legislators are from the dominant OBC Gounder community to which EPS belongs. In the election for the Leader of the Opposition in the assembly, OPS found little support and had to give way for EPS.

Criticism has emerged within the party over the diarchy – dual leadership of OPS and EPS, and this has given room for the call for a unitary leadership and the return of Sasikala. Echoing this was former legislator VC Arukutty.

Sensing the mood in the party, which is distraught at the electoral defeats since the 2019 LS poll, Dhinakaran had asked the AIADMK leadership to carry out a “soul searching exercise”. “I harbour no ill will against anyone in the AIADMK. It is necessary for the AIADMK leaders to do a soul searching on what is good for the party,” he told the media in Chennai, underscoring the need for unification. Further, he is happy at the performance of the AMMK, which has emerged victorious in certain pockets despite his complete absence from the campaign, helping afloat the fledgling party.

Analysts are skeptical about an early homecoming for the duo. According to Ravindran Duraisamy and others, the situation is not conducive as of now.

Is OPS making yet another attempt to prepare the ground for Sasikala's return into the party fold? And how EPS will handle this fresh salvo would be keenly watched.