How AIADMK lost its chances of being in power at Centre?

When the ruling AIADMK’s political twins—Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and his deputy O. Panneerselvam—set out to Delhi from Chennai to watch Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet take oath, expectations were high in the party circles. Senior leaders and the cadres hoped that the AIADMK would be part of power at the Centre, 20 years after their late leader Jayalalithaa toppled the Vajpayee government in a famous tea party. 

It was a huge disappointment for the AIADMK leaders who were waiting for an invite from Modi for a tea party hosted by the PM himself, hours before the swearing-in. They later set out from the Tamil Nadu house to the Rashtrapathi Bhavan to meet and greet the BJP leaders. 

According to highly placed sources, the AIADMK lost all the chances of being in power in Delhi as the leaders could not arrive at a consensus in suggesting one particular name to the top BJP leadership. Sources say that when Panneerselvam pulled all possible strings to get a berth for his son and first time MP O.P. Raveendranath Kumar, the party preferred a berth for Rajya Sabha MP from Orathanad region R. Vaithialingam. Sources adds that there were several rounds of discussions between the chief minister and his deputy, but they could not finalise a name. So, the AIADMK demanded two berths—either cabinet or MoS (Independent Charge). 

Sources say Panneerselvam was not convinced despite several requests by many AIADMK seniors to give up his bid. “We are already surviving in the state in the mercy of the BJP leaders in Delhi. In such a situation how can we demand for a powerful portfolio?” asks an AIADMK MP on condition of anonymity. 

Sources say the BJP leaders were ready to accommodate the AIADMK in the cabinet and their choice was Rajya Sabha MP Vijila Sathyananth. It is said that the BJP preferred Vijila as she would make minority representation in the Modi cabinet. However, it was an opportunity lost by the AIADMK, as the party seniors were not for anyone else other than Raveendranath or Vaithialingam. 

Meanwhile, with six Rajya Sabha MP seats from Tamil Nadu falling vacant by the end of June, the AIADMK will have to send three members to the upper house. Sources say senior leaders like M. Thambidurai who lost to Congress’s Jothimani from Karur Lok Sabha constituency, K.P. Munusamy who is believed to be part of the OPS camp, former minister Gokula Indira are in the race. However, the AIADMK has already signed an electoral pact with the PMK to allot a Rajya Sabha seat. In such a situation the AIADMK can only send two members from its party to the Rajya Sabha. But now it seems the AIADMK might have to relinquish one seat to its alliance partner, the BJP. 

While several names from the BJP state unit are doing the rounds for a Rajya Sabha, sources say the saffron party might ask the AIADMK to relinquish the seat for the newly-appointed External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. If so, the AIADMK might not have representation in both the houses like how they were in the last five years. 

“The AIADMK has started feeling the pinch of the absence of a powerful leader like Jayalalithaa. At a time when Modi has taken a Vishwaroop, I can go far as to say that the early symptoms of deepening crisis is visible within the AIADMK. Though I may not say that the party has started imploding, there are strong indicators that it is heading for a huge crisis,” says senior journalist R. Mani.