All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
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1989, 2022: battles for control of party
Jaya Menon, July 12, 2022: The Times of India
Jayalalithaa, a popular actress then, had neither the support of the ministers and legislators nor the functionaries. Whereas Janaki enjoyed the ‘stature’ of being the wife of the most idolised matinee star-turned politician-turned chief minister and party sentiments seemed overwhelmingly in her favour.
The current war for supremacy in the AIADMK is similar to the 1988 J-Ja battle. The Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) vs O Panneerselvam (OPS) struggle to capture power in the party is not likely to end soon. While winning over functionaries is imperative, gaining cadre support, sympathy and trust would be the final step to taking over the party reins and being crowned the king.
Janaki may have won the first round. But what Jayalalithaa’s rivals overlooked was her celluloid charisma — the mass appeal and the support she had from the party rank and file.
In the January 1989 assembly election, the DMK led by M Karunanidhi won, but it was a triumph for Jayalalithaa too. Twenty-six of her supporters scored victories and so did Jayalalithaa, from her Bodinayakanur seat (Theni district) in the rooster symbol. The Janaki faction that contested in the two doves symbol was wiped out, managing just two seats.
Janaki lost and Jayalalithaa won the party and the symbol that had been frozen by an order of then chief election commissioner RVS Peri Sastri.
A familiar tale
Cut to 2022. The ongoing fight for the AIADMK between Palaniswami, 68, and Panneerselvam, 71, has elements similar to the 1989 J-Ja battle.
On July 11, AIADMK’s supreme body — the general council — installed EPS as the party’s interim general secretary. EPS, who has managed to lure most of the seniors to his side, has won the first round. But the second round could prove crucial — an election, with or without the party name or symbol, and the twists and turns the battle may take in the Election Commission (EC) arena could define their hold over the party. Besides the party name and symbol, the bylaws originally scripted by MGR and amended a few times subsequently could also define the EPS vs OPS contest.
It was after Jayalalithaa’s death in December 2016 that a new fight began to wrest control of the party. This one between Jayalalithaa’s friend VK Sasikala, her nephew TTV Dhinakaran and EPS on one side and then Tamil Nadu chief minister OPS, who authored a ‘dharmayudh’ after he was forced to step down as CM to make way for Sasikala, on the other.
Sasikala, who was appointed AIADMK general secretary in 2016 after Jayalalithaa’s death, had made EPS the chief minister the same year. This triggered a split in the party. In 2017, the EPS and OPS factions merged. Eventually, Sasikala, who was incarcerated in February 2018 in the disproportionate wealth case and sent to a Bengaluru prison, and Dhinakaran, who later floated his own party, were knocked out of the ring. EPS, as CM, and OPS as the ‘wronged’ one, took centre stage.
With the EC freezing the symbol again in March 2017 ahead of the RK Nagar bypoll, there was a wild scramble by the two leaders to prove their might. They deployed their loyalists to prepare affidavits and get them signed by party members. They sent truckloads of affidavits of functionaries and party cadres to the EC headquarters in New Delhi to prove their strength in the organisation before chief election commissioner Nasim Zaidi, who served between April 2015 and July 2017. Realising they were no mass leaders, the two made up and launched an uneasy chapter in dual leadership. In most such disputes, the EC bases its decision on a clear majority enjoyed by a faction among the party general council, executive committee members, office-bearers, legislators, as well as in the organisational structure, said Zaidi. Faced with the daunting task of assessing the organisational strength and which faction has majority support, the EC goes with testing majority among elected members of Parliament and members of legislative assembly as well. In the succession war that wracked the Samajwadi Party in 2017, such a test of majority tilted the scales in favour of Akhilesh Yadav and helped him oust his father Mulayam Singh Yadav from the party he founded in 1992.
Proof of popularity
“Right now, it looks like a majority of cadres are with EPS. But only the office-bearers are with him. Both EPS and OPS have no direct cadre attachment like MGR or Jayalalithaa. To prove they do, they have to face an election. A categorical reiteration can only be the 2026 assembly election and to an extent the 2024 Lok Sabha election,” says senior Congress leader S Thirunavukkarasar, who was formerly with the AIADMK. He was among the handful who threw their weight behind Jayalalithaa when the party split in 1988.
The 2024 general election can also be an early litmus test for the two leaders. The fight, though, has to go beyondcaste and region, says Thirunavukkarasar. While it is imperative for EPS to stand up to the BJP to win over cadres’ hearts, he could also earn the respect of his ally, seemingly tilting towards OPS.
The EPS vs OPS battle isn’t more bitter than it was in 2017 nor any less vindictive, vengeful or acrimonious. But the fight for the AIADMK between them playing out now has never been more intense in the courts. It is yet to pick up heat before the EC. A symbol is needed only at the time of election, for propagation. And a dispute over symbols would arise only when the rival walks out of the party or is expelled. “We have to wait and see if such a situation is precipitated,” says former chief election commissioner N Gopalasami.
2017
Rift between political leaders on Jayalalithaa's health/ 2017
HIGHLIGHTS
DMK's working president M K Stalin: Why Jayalalithaa had not been provided medical treatment outside India?
OPS: Even though I was in charge of the govt, I didn’t have any power, even to see Amma in the hospital
I wanted Amma to be taken to the US, but Sasikala and family refused for that, said OPS
Former Tamil Nadu chief minister O PanneerselvamFormer Tamil Nadu chief minister O Panneerselvam
CHENNAI: The DMK fears that it will lose the April 12 R K Nagar byelection+ and that is why party's working president M K Stalin is "raising several issues against me," said former Tamil Nadu chief minister O Panneerselvam.
"The summer heat is increasing each day. Apart from this the campaign heat is also increasing in R K Nagar as our candidate E Madhusudanan has got good response from the residents. Stalin fears that the DMK candidate will not win in the bypoll. That is why Stalin is attacking me," said Panneerselvam+ at a press meet in his residence. Claiming that people's support is only with AIADMK faction led by him, Panneerselvam said the DMK has lost the support of people and they could not dream of winning the R K Nagar bypoll+ .
Stalin+ wanted to know why Jayalalithaa had not been provided medical treatment outside India. Panneerselvam said, "Even though I was in charge of the government, I didn't have any power, even to see Amma in the hospital. I spoke party leader and Lok Sabha deputy speaker M Thambidurai about taking Amma to the US for treatment. He also asked Sasikala family members but they told him that Amma was being given the best treatment possible and that there was no need for her to be taken out of the country."
"I told health minister C Vijayabaskar that we will have to take back Jayalalithaa to her residence in good shape. If something happens to her, the party cadre will not leave us alone and they will attack not only us but also our residences. But the minister did not say anything on this," said Panneerselvam.
Stalin had asked when OPS would come out with the 90% of secrets against Sasikala, Panneerselvam said the 90% of the secrets are about the steps taken by Sasikala and her family to bring about a break in my friendship with Jayalalithaa. "All these happened from 2006 onwards. These are personal and it is about me alone. That is why I am saying that the 90% will be with me," he said.
Asked about the corruption charges raised by Stalin, Panneerselvam said the DMK had no moral right to talk about corruption. "2G and Aircel Maxis cases are some of the big corruption cases in the country. In all such cases DMK leaders are involved. What right has DMK or Stalin to talk about corruption," said Panneerselvam.
A split
HIGHLIGHTS
In a repeat of almost 30-year-old history, AIADMK party faces similar situation with the party symbol being frozen by the EC.
This time it is a fight of political survival for both T T V Dinakaran and O Panneerselvam.
MGR at 1982 Asiad in Delhi, flanked by wife Janaki (R) and Jayalalithaa.MGR at 1982 Asiad in Delhi, flanked by wife Janaki (R) and Jayalalithaa.
CHENNAI: For many in AIADMK, it's a feeling of deja vu. Nearly three decades ago, in 1988, a similar fight played out shortly after AIADMK founder M G Ramachandran passed away. The party split between his protege J Jayalalithaa and his wife Janaki and the two leaves symbol was frozen by the then election commissioner. But, the similarity ends there.
Charisma and political credentials marked the clash between Jayalalithaa and Janaki in what was then personality-centric politics. The fight today is for political survival for both T T V Dinakaran and O Panneerselvam.
The key issue now is mass acceptability and the rival leaders' popularity within a regional party that dominated the Dravidian horizon for four decades. For the faction that wins the R K Nagar byelection, the battle for supremacy is half won. But MGR biographer R Kannan feels that it is still unclear if the bypoll can be considered a microcosm of Tamil Nadu or a portent for things to come.
Neither OPS nor TTV have any personal following or influence, he pointed out. "There is the impression fostered by the media and social media that the cadres and even a section of the public are sympathetic to OPS; the other faction is believed to simply command the support of the MLAs and party office-bearers. This is all too simplistic and is yet to be tested," said Kannan.
The OPS faction is likely to get a fair share of the AIADMK votes, not the least because its candidate E Madhusudhanan is a son of the soil. However, it is unlikely that the un committed voterpublic will be enthused by either of the factions, he said. But, former minister and OPS supporter K Pandiarajan is confident of victory . "Once our candidate wins, MLAs would switch to our side," he told TOI. The big challenge, however, would be in educating the voters about the new names of their factions, AIADMK (Amma) and AIADMK (Puratchithalaivi Amma), and the hat and electric pole symbols.
With the Election Commission ac knowledging the split in the AIADMK and freezing the symbol, the two factions are equally poised in their bitter battle for Jayalalithaa's legacy. But, in a differ ent avatar with new poll symbols, victory in R K Nagar may be unachievable. The Sasikala camp is upbeat. "The EC decision is a shock for us. But, we will win on the plank of Amma's welfare schemes and her achievements," said ex-minister P Valarmathi. But, just as in 1989 when Karunanidhi made a comeback, Kannan says the DMK may well end up as the beneficiary of the vote split in the AIADMK. "M K Stalin and DMK under his stewardship enjoy a relatively positive image if we were to discount the incidents on the day of the confidence vote," he said.
Factions get different symbols
ADMK splits: Sasi gets `hat', `pole' for OPS, March 24, 2017: The Times of India
The split in AIADMK beca me official on Thursday The V K Sasikala faction de .cided to call itself AIADMK (Amma) and picked the `hat' symbol while the O Panneerselvam group christened itself AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma) and decided to fight under the `electric pole' symbol, reports Julie Mariappan. The settlement came hours before the deadline for filing nominations for the bypoll in R K Nagar, a seat that became vacant after J Jayalalithaa's death in December 2016.
How PM, Shah united AIADMK
Akhilesh Singh, How PM, Shah charted plans to unite AIADMK, August 22, 2017: The Times of India
BJP May Seize Chance For Pre-Poll Alliance
Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the merger of AIADMK's two factions on Monday and said the Centre would provide all support to chief minister E Palaniswami and deputy CM O Panneerselvam for Tamil Nadu's growth. “I congratulate Thiru O Panneerselvam and others who took oath today .I hope Tamil Nadu scales newer heights of progress in the years to come,“ Modi tweeted.
It is believed the BJP leadership, including Modi and party chief Amit Shah, played a crucial role in the merger as it comes with the opportunity for the saffron party to consolidate itself in the southern state.
There is also the possibility of the merged entity joining the NDA at the Centre, which will consolidate the ruling dispensation further following Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) coming on board. There is speculation BJP will use the opportu nity to forge a pre-poll alliance with ADMK with V K Sasikala's sympathisers sidelined.
ADMK has 50 members in Parliament, including 37 in Lok Sabha and 13 in Rajya Sabha and their presence on the treasury benches will be a boost to NDA. Soon after Sasikala was jailed after her conviction on corruption charges, BJP began taking keen interest in Tamil Nadu politics, striving for unity among ADMK rival factions. As a weakened AIADMK could have seen rival DMK making gains and subsequently helping Congress, BJP leaders left no stone unturned to unite the two factions.
Modi held several rounds of separate meetings with Panneerselvam and Palaniswami.Both leaders were invited to the oath-taking ceremony of Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu, making it clear that the BJP brass wanted to keep both factions in good humour.
After Jayalalitha's death, BJP kept away as Sasikala took over as general secretary . BJP members were not ready to join hands with someone facing graft charges. The BJP leadership was equally apprehensive when Sasikala imposed her nephew TTV Dinkaran on the party . However, after Dinakaran was held for misuse of money in the assembly bypolls, BJP found it easier to convince the two factions to merge.
2023
SC lets EPS stay as interim general secretary
A Subramani, February 24, 2023: The Times of India
Chennai : The functional deadlock in AIADMK ended when the Supreme Court gave its stamp of approval to the party’s July 11, 2022, special general council meeting in which Edappadi K Palaniswami was elected interim general secretary and O Panneerselvam expelled.
Multiple rounds of litigation revolved around questions like who was to convene the general council meeting, if the members had prior intimation and whether or not the 15-day advance notice mandatory. Interpreting almost every point in favour of the Palaniswami faction, the division bench of Justice Dinesh Maheswari and Justice Hrishikesh Roy said the June 23 meeting had been “duly convened” and “even if the slated business was not transacted, all that had happened in that meeting could not have been ignored”.
Noting that Panneerselvam and those backing him were present at the meeting, the bench said, “The general council consists of 2,665 members. If 2,190 out of these 2,665 consented to the general council meeting and the presidium chairman announced the date, in the given set of facts and circumstances, such an announcement, at least at the present stage, cannot be dubbed wholly redundant”.
The bench rejected the Panneerselvam faction's argument that no notice was issued to the general council members 15 days prior to the meeting, saying this clause was mandatory only for theannual general council.
It also referred to a past instance of an interim general secretary (V K Sasikala) not being able to function in that role because of her incarceration in a criminal case. The then office-bearers convened a meeting on September 12, 2017, based on the requisitionmade by the members.
Even if the resolutions passed on June 23 and July 11, 2022 were found to be illegal or against the bylaws, it was always open to one-fifth of the members of the general council to convene a special meeting and reverse the resolutions passed in these two meetings, the bench said.
“The directions given by a single judge to convene the meeting only with the joint consent of coordinator and joint coordinator was leading to a situation where the party as a whole would undergo irreparable hardship because there was no possibility of OPS and EPS acting jointly to convene the meeting,” the bench said.
Breaks up with BJP, leaves NDA
Sep 26, 2023: The Times of India
CHENNAI: AIADMK on Monday announced its decision to snap ties with BJP in Tamil Nadu and exit NDA, blaming the BJP state leadership for the break-up. After a meeting of office-bearers, district secretaries, MPs and MLAs, it was declared that AIADMK, led by Edappadi K Palaniswami, would head an alliance and face the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, making it clear that the Dravidian party would be the big brother in any tie-up.
The party, however, did not specify who its allies would be. AIADMK was also silent on whether it is open to having BJP back in the alliance in future on the former’s terms.
AIADMK senior leader K P Munusamy read out the resolution to journalists as party members shouted celebratory slogans, hailing the decision and setting off fireworks. “The BJP state leadership has been deliberately and intentionally defaming AIADMK, our leaders, Anna (former TN chief minister C N Annadurai) and Amma (former CM J Jayalalithaa), and demeaning the ideologies and principles of AIADMK for the past one year,” the resolution said. While Palaniswami refrained from interacting with journalists, Munusamy declined to take questions.
The resolution said the BJP leadership “belittled the historic conference of AIADMK", held in Madurai on August 20, and "slandered" Palaniswami, who steers a “party of two crore cadres”. “This has caused unrest among the cadres and functionaries,” the party said.
An AIADMK delegation reportedly met BJP national president J P Nadda in Delhi on Friday and conveyed that the BJP’s state unit should make a “course correction”. A week ago, former AIADMK minister D Jayakumar said “as of now” there was no alliance with BJP in response to the controversial statements of the saffron party’s state unit chief Annamalai against Annadurai.
At a public rally a fortnight ago, Annamalai had said that Annadurai “apologised” and “ran away” from Madurai in 1956 after former Forward Bloc leader Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar protested Anna’s anti-Hindu remarks. Jayakumar had accused Annamalai of being “a coward and a self-centered person who violates alliance dharma” by making such slanderous comments.
The meeting chaired by Palaniswami saw senior functionaries joining the chorus demanding the party exit BJP-led NDA.
