Sasikala Natarajan versus OPS; the latest developments

Posted on February 8, 2017

Tamil Nadu’s current Chief Minister, O. Panneerselvam has stirred up a lot of drama in Tamil Nadu since 9:00 pm last night (07/02/2017). The drama began a little while after 9:00 pm yesterday (07/02/2017) when OPS had visited Jayalalithaa’s memorial in Marina beech. After sitting in meditation for nearly forty minutes, he told the eager and awaiting journalists that Sasikala and his party MLAs and ministers had forced him to resign from his current post as Tamil Nadu’s CM. Sasikala it seems had a signed petition from all of the ministers and MLAs in the AIADMK party, supporting her candidature for the CM of Tamil Nadu. She told OPS at a meeting with him and other ministers in the Poes Garden residence on Sunday (05/02/2017) that all the MLAs and ministers in the AIADMK party wanted to work under her and not him. OPS became upset and gave his resignation. However, yesterday (at around 9:40 PM) he said, “I will withdraw my resignation, if people wish. I will fight to save the party and the goodwill of Jayalalithaa’s legacy”. Read more on AIADMK

Following OPS’s rebellion against her, Sasikala called for an emergency meeting at the Poes Garden residence at around 11:00 pm yesterday. After a three hours long meeting with the ministers, Sasikala came out along with her supporters (at around 1:00 am, Wednesday) and told the press that OPS had been expelled from the post of Treasurer of the AIADMK party. Sasikala alleged that the DMK party leader, MK Stalin was trying to drive a wedge in the AIADMK party and that OPS was acting on the dictates of MK Stalin. She said that the two leaders often exchanged pleasantries in the assembly.

“In the recent assembly session, the opposition leader (MK Stalin) and Panneerselvam exchanged warmth, they were smiling at each other”, Sasikala said.

Sasikala also maintained that there is no rift in the AIADMK party and that she has the support of all the MLAs and ministers in the party. She also emphasized that she never forced Panneerselvam to resign as the CM in the first place and that he did it on his own accord.

Panneerselvam today shot back at Sasikala’s remarks. He said that he was appointed as the Treasurer of the AIADMK party by Amma and that no one has the right to take away his post.

“I was appointed as the treasurer by Amma and no one can take away my post. I don’t fear anybody and DMK is no way involved in it”, Panneerselvam said.

He also took a dig at Sasikala’s ‘smiling remark’.

“Looking at opposition leader and smiling at them isn’t a crime. I think smiling is not a crime. To Sasikala, the biggest difference between human beings and animals is that only humans can smile”, Panneerselvam said with a smile (J).

This comment of OPS made him an overnight sensation. When OPS resigned, many people thought that they will have to sit back and accept Sasikala’s elevation, but the CM’s sudden rebellion has brought back hope to many. This rebellion by OPS had reached to people as far away as Singapore, with many congratulating him on social media. In the wake of Panneerselvam’s rebellion, BJP worker in TN, H. Raja had also tweeted his support to OPS. “OPS has told the press openly that he was compelled to resign by Sasikala’s coterie. So the resignation is illegal. OPS sir, congrats”, read his tweet.

Panneerselvam intends to meet the TN Governor, Vidyasagar Rao as soon as he returns to TN. He intends to explain the political situation in TN to him. Panneerselvam has also sought the support of Jayalalithaa’s niece, Deepa, in this issue.

“I will ask Deepa to join me. I will give her the respect she deserves”, OPS said.

The Election Commission (EC) too had added to the previous night’s drama. It had requested a copy of the AIADMK’s resolution to make Sasikala as the party’s General Secretary. It said that Sasikala had no right to remove OPS as the party’s Treasurer, if the party did not pass a legal resolution to make her as the General Secretary.

Later this morning, Sasikala called Panneerselvam a ‘traitor’ to the party and added that his claims of having the support of fifty party MLAs are false and that the AIADMK party was united despite OPS’s claims. She accused OPS for not resolving issues with her directly and resorting to going to media to express his concerns. She said that this was an act of cowardice on the part of OPS and even sang a song from one of MGR’s (a famous Tamil actor and politician) films. She sang “Acham Yenbadhu Madamaiyada…” from one of MGR’s films. The phrase in Tamil translates as ‘Cowardice Is Foolishness’. Today (08/02/2017) Sasikala has also taken her party MLAs on a bus to an undisclosed location. This act of hers raised speculation that she fears that they may join OPS’s cause.

Everyone is eager to know what OPS and Sasikala will do next. The political situation in TN is very unstable and grave. Amidst all this, the current Governor of TN, Vidyasagar Rao, is in Mumbai and a Supreme Court case is pending against Sasikala! The Congress has also foolishly accused the BJP in Tamil Nadu for trying to drive a wedge in the AIADMK party. The Tamil Nadu wing of the BJP party has dismissed this accusation made by Congress as completely baseless. I, like many of you, sincerely hope that this grave political situation in Tamil Nadu is peacefully resolved soon. Read more on Startup News