By Ashima Makhija
Former Tamil Nadu (TN) Chief Minister (CM) and arguably Ammas closest aide, Sasikala Natarajan, has had a tumultuous year since the demise of legendary leader Jayalalitha. The woman, who currently sits behind the bars of Bengaluru Central Prison for her involvement in a disproportionate assets case, was once fondly called Chinnamma in Tamil Nadu and her name was hyphenated with the legendary Amma. She was viewed as a leader with pious political virtues and India Today described the relationship between her and Amma as one of love and affection but also of emotional blackmail and betrayal. The journey of Sasikala, in which she traversed from the status of a devout follower of Amma to an instigator against Jayalalithas rule and from no political power or experience to the CM of TN, is a long and twisted one.
“Udanpiravaa Sagodhari”
The relationship between Jayalalithaa and her companion Sasikala has been quite well-documented in the history of Tamil Nadu politicsit has been both tempestuous and rewarding for both of them. In the 1980s, when Jayalalithaa entered politics, the two grew reportedly close, with Sasikala even wanting to film a video of the “glamorous propaganda secretary” to sell at a huge profit, writes The Sunday Guardian. A section of Jayalalithaa’s faithful supporters resented their very relationship Jayalalithaa even declared Sasikala her “udanpiravaa sagodhari” (sister not related through blood). Sasikala and her relatives soon began to reign royal at the household and the press dubbed them the ‘Mannargudi mafia’. The stories of moneymaking through wrongful means by Sasikala’s family members spread across the state, rather the entire country and it was one of the main reasons for the defeat of Jayalalithaa’s party AIADMK in the 1996 elections.
Jayalalithaa’s time changed for good once again in 1998 when AIADMK came to power at the Centre as part of Vajpayee led NDA. But one of the biggest scandals affected the duothe Tansi land deal. It was charged that the 3.78 acre land in Chennai’s Guindy industrial estate, which belonged to Tamil Nadu Small Industries Corporation Limited or Tansi, was bought by Jaya Publications and Sasi Enterprises, where Jayalalithaa and Sasikala were shareholders, at a price lower than the market price in 1991-92. After the High Court, the Supreme Court in 2003 also acquitted Jayalalithaa in the case. Through all these ups and downs, Sasikala stood firmly by Ammas side.
Had the blood gone bad?
In 2011, Jayalalithaa once again rode back to power and that was the time when Sasikala’s infamous Mannargudi Mafia’ started planning for the anointment of Sasikala as Tamil Nadu CM. They thought Jayalalithaa would go to jail in her disproportionate assets case in a Bangalore court and that would be time for catapulting Sasikala on to the hot seat. In the meantime, Jayalaithaa’s good friend Narendra Modi, the Gujarat CM, alerted her about the Mannargudi Mafia and told her that investors were leaving Tamil Nadu because of monetary demands from Sasikala and her family.
She also got to know about the Bangalore meeting attended by Sasikala’s relatives where they discussed the succession plan in case Jayalalithaa was incarcerated. On 17 December 2011, Jayalalithaa asked the Mannargudi clan to pack up and leave her house. Even Sasikala was expelled from the party. This expulsion lasted a mere 100 days or so before Sasikala officially joined the AIADMK in March 2012 and became a member of its general council. After that Sasikala publicly distanced herself from her family members and even alleged that she was totally unaware of any conspiracy that her family members may have hatched.
EPS-OPS sat on a wall and Sasikala-Dinakaran had a great fall
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) has traditionally been viewed as Ammas party. She was the sole icon and face of AIADMK and by leveraging state-funded mechanisms and schemes (like Amma Canteen and Amma Water). She rose to become an unchallenged and unparalleled leader. The internal, as well as external governance of AIADMK, was strongly reflective of Ammas cult politics. The question of succession in parties like these generally creates magnanimous controversies and the troubles started very soon for AIADMK.
Immediately after Ammas demise, AIADMK was taken over by her nominee, O Paneersalvem. After a lot of tensions and conflicts, three discernible factions of AIADMK became visible, led by Sasikala, EPS and OPS respectively. In February 20117, while the mirage of Sasikalas success hadnt even begun to fade and she was appointed CM, she announced, The AIADMK is united. By then she had already stripped Panneerselvam of the post of party treasurer and replaced him with state forest minister Dindigul Srinivasan. Well, the dream of a united AIADMK seems like a far-fetched mirage and even if it does take place, the Sasikala faction has been entirely expelled by OPS and EPS.
A roller-coaster ride
One can say that the wheel of Sasikala has come in full circle. She started out in politics as a result of her friendship with Amma but was never at the helm of the political or administrative empire of TN. She was viewed as Jayalalithaa’s alter ego yet, there was widespread support in TN for OPSs rule even after Sasikala took over. Even at that time, the popular perception was that OPS had far more political experience and could guide both the party and state through troubled times. Finally, a few months after Sasikala got her initial taste of power as the CM, she was detained for the disproportionate assets case and barred from contesting elections and holding office. The journey of Sasikala is marked by frauds and corrupt practices, by love and support for Amma, by betrayal and friendship and by her role, both as a usurper and as Chinamma.
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