Splitting heirs in TN politics

Political parties splitting for various reasons is not a new phenomenon in Tamil Nadu. But what has surprised everybody this time around is the burgeoning of the MGR Amma Deepa (MAD) Peravai which held centrestage till the push and pull for plum posts almost derailed it. 

This is the first time that a forum, which claims to have political ambitions has its genesis as a movement and not a political party, despite its lofty ambitions of working for the people. The AIADMK rank and file who were against former chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s aide V K Sasikala supported Jayalalithaa’s niece Deepa Jayakumar initially.

But the support shifted direction when former chief minister O Panneerselvam raised the banner of revolt and all those who opposed Sasikala flocked to him. Now, with the factions led by OPS, Deepa and Sasikala groups fighting to claim the party legacy, it remains to be seen who will finally emerge victorious. 

According to political analyst Aazhi Senthilnathan, “The only reason that people flocked to Deepa was because her slight resemblance to Jayalalithaa.” A political neophyte, she knows little about politics and this was proved when she was unable to nominate office-bearers for state and district units. 

“But what really proved her ignorance was her claim of retrieving the AIADMK’s two leaves symbol when she was not even a party member” he added. Though Deepa at two press conferences claimed she wanted to work for people’s welfare, she was highly reluctant to meet supporters who thronged her residence daily, leaving this job to her husband Madhavan. 

Even Janaki Ramachandran, who was chief minister for a month at least following the death of MGR, was backed by AIADMK cadre. However, she lacked the charisma that her rival Jayalalithaa had in plenty. 

It was the same predicament with MGR when he was ousted from DMK for his differences with Karunanidhi. His ouster was based on the signatures of a few general council office-bearers and hence the reason why AIADMK party’s by-laws make it mandatory for the General Secretary to be chosen by the party rank and file. 

MGR’s breakaway faction worked and succeeded in ending DMK’s rule mainly because he himself had been a long time DMK member and had used cinema as a propaganda tool. He was also aided by his fans’ association, which nobody took seriously before his political victory. 

“There is no comparison between DMK split and the formation of AIADMK in 1972 and the present political scenario” Senthilnathan adds. The same can be said of Sasikala whose political ambitions met short shrift and ended with her being jailed over the disproportionate assets case. In Sasikala’s case too, functionaries sided with her to safeguard their portfolios and positions and to ensure that the remaining four years ended without them being thrown out of power. 

Sasikala’s problem is that despite being with Jayalalithaa for 33 years and accompanying her on her election tours, she was only seen as a backroom maneuverer and not a mass leader. It is this, plus suspicions about Jayalalithaa’s death, which led to lack of support for her during her incarceration while MLAs who supported her were booed when they returned to their constituencies after Edappadi K Palanisamy led government assumed power. 

Many in AIADMK did start political parties of their own, including former ministers Alagu Thirunavukarasu, S D Somasundaram, R M Veerappan, Panruti Ramachandran and S Thirunavukarasar (present TNCC president). This was due to differences they had with MGR, but all later merged their parties with AIADMK as they realised that their parties would be unable to slow down the AIADMK juggernaut. “Starting political parties was only a sign of rebellion till better counsel prevailed” adds, political observer T George. 

MDMK was started in 1994 when the DMK’s star speaker Vai Gopalsamy (he was not Vaiko then) piqued at the importance given to M Karunanidhi’s son Stalin parted ways. His first state conference in Tiruchy was a crowd puller as all were surprised by his cadre’s discipline. But over the years, his party’s varying stand on issues and in not participating in elections has finally resulted in Vaiko becoming an “also ran”. Today, MDMK only just exists. 

Around the same time, G K Moopanar formed the TMC (Tamil Maanila Congress) over issues with the parent party. But it did not last long and finally TMC merged with the Congress again, one of its founding members, P Chidambaram went on to become the finance minister in the central cabinet. 

The TMC had a rebirth when Moopanar’s son G K Vasan re-formed it due to issues with the Congress. Though visible, the real stature of the party was revealed during the 2016 elections when as part of the PWF (Peoples Welfare Front) it drew a blank. 

The same fate is also expected to befall MAD Peravai. It lacks the political staying power as witnessed by the infighting even before the forum was a month old. 

“The peravai might be a new experiment but its originators obviously have no idea that politics is a game where there is ‘only take’ and “no give,” George adds.