Sasikala: Amma In Waiting!

Tamil Nadu’s CM-in-waiting Charts a Stunning Takeover of the Party and the Government, But Her Moment of Triumph is Marred by Public Anger and the Revolt of a Party Veteran.

- Amarnath K. Menon

Chennai’s iconic Marina Beach is the final resting place of some stalwarts of Tamil Nadu’s Dravidian movement—from C.N. Annadurai and M.G. Ramachandran to, most recently, J. Jayalalithaa. The movement rejects cremation in favour of burial for its leaders, and their memorials have, over time, become powerful symbols for mobilising the cadre. On the night of February 7, Jayalalithaa’s burial spot became the site of an unprecedented revolt against her successor in the AIADMK, V.K. Sasikala. It was the CM-in-waiting’s first big political test. Interim Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam arrived at the spot late in the evening and sat cross-legged, meditating for over 40 minutes before raising the banner of revolt against Sasikala, whom the AIADMK had unanimously elevated as chief minister-designate. Panneerselvam alleged he had been humiliated as CM and coerced into submitting his resignation to Governor S. Vidyasagar Rao 48 hours earlier.

If Panneerselvam’s transformation from the eternal interim-CM to a rebel was surprising, Sasikala’s makeover from backroom player to a ruthless party czarina was equally startling. She might have lost the element of surprise, but she was clearly not prepared to lose the initiative.