Tamil Nadu Waits For Stability After Jayalalithaa

By Shakir Husain NEW DELHI, Feb 22 (Bernama) -- Tamil Nadu, one of India's politically mostimportant states, has been in a disarray since its charismatic leader Jayalalithaa died in December. A leadership struggle in the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) party has given its rivals new hopes to assert themselves. Jayalalithaa died without naming a successor, prompting some of her biggest loyalists to make rival claims to inherit the late regional supremo's mantle. O. Panneerselvam, known as a firm believer in Jayalalithaa's legacy, who succeeded her as chief minister, lost his position to Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Feb 18 after a bitter fight against V.K. Sasikala, who took over as AIADMK general secretary on Dec 31. JAYALALITHAA AN ENIGMA While Jayalalithaa was hailed as "Puratchi Thalaivi" (revolutionary leader in Tamil) and called Amma (mother) by her followers, Sasikala became known as Chinnamma (mother's younger sister) in a clear sign of her clout and closeness with Jayalalithaa. Palaniswami enjoys 62-year-old Sasikala's backing and also proudly proclaims his allegiance to Jayalalithaa. Hailing from Mannargudi town in the Thiruvarur district, Sasikala was a video recording shop owner in Mylapore in the state capital when her association with Jayalalithaa began, according to reports in the Indian media. Over the years the two became close friends and Sasikala moved into Jayalalithaa's Poes Garden residence in Chennai in 1989. Chinnamma, who like Panneerselvam belongs to the dominant Thevar community of Tamil Nadu, became a power centre in her own right and controlled access to Amma. However, Chinnamma is yet to establish her credentials as a mass political leader and lacks formal political experience. PANNEERSELVAM'S Still, Panneerselvam must have known his limitations in challenging Chinnamma when he resigned on February 5 citing "personal reasons", but ostensibly to pave the way for her to become chief minister. Then things took a surprise turn. Panneerselvam sat in a meditation at Amma's Marina Beach memorial on February 7. It was an open revolt against Sasikala. Panneerselvam later alleged that he resigned under pressure and would reconsider his decision if the party legislators supported him. More of his grievances surfaced, including an allegation that he was not allowed to see Jayalalithaa at Chennai's Apollo Hospital, where the 68-year-old Amma was admitted on Sept 22 following a fever, dehydration and a respiratory infection. DID PANNEERSELVAM HAD SECOND THOUGHTS? What was behind Panneerselvam's new posture? Some observers believe the script for Chennai's chief ministership fight was written in New Delhi. This view gains credence in light of the way regime change has been tried in some other states. Jayalalithaa, a movie star-turned politician, was made of sterner stuff and could browbeat any government in Delhi to assert herself. She has left a vacuum that will be hard to fill. Panneerselvam's high-stakes rebellion so alarmed Chinnamma that she herded the party's legislators to a resort to foil any attempts to poach them before a trial of strength in the 234-member Tamil Nadu assembly. While she waited for the state governor to respond to her claim to form a new government, the Supreme Court convicted Sasikala in an old case of corruption, dashing her hopes of becoming chief minister. Panneerselvam can't even celebrate the stunning verdict against his foe as by doing so he would also be condemning Amma, a co-accused in the case. RUCKUS AT THE STATE ASSEMBLY In the assembly floor test, Palaniswami won with 122 votes in his favour and 11 against. The vote was marred by a bedlam in which assembly speaker P. Dhanapal and opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader M.K. Stalin had their shirts torn. DMK members, demanding a secret ballot, were removed by assembly security staff amid the brawl. Stalin threatened: "If you try to evict us by force, we would be constrained to harm ourselves, we may even consider suicide." The dramatic scenes were played on television across India and came after the recent violent protests over the regional bull-taming sport of Jallikattu. IS TAMIL NADU SAFE NOW? Tamil Nadu, one of India's better-administered states with a thriving manufacturing sector, especially for top global car brands, must be hoping for some calm after five months of anxiety. With the AIADMK busy restoring internal order, the opposition DMK is eager to take on the ruling party with a new vigour. The party's new deputy general secretary TTV Dinakaran, a nephew of Sasikala, is set to play an active role while Chinnamma serves her four-year prison term. Tamil Nadu's tumultuous developments have again reinforced Jayalalithaa's image of an effective mass leader. Even in defeat, Panneerselvam is vowing to continue his fight until "Jayalalithaa's rule" is restored. As for the AIADMK, a "stable Amma government" has already been established and Tamil Nadu has been "saved." -- BERNAMA