Rift emerges in ADMK as polls near
CHENNAI: The coronavirus (COVID-19) is wreaking havoc in Tamil Nadu, which is second on the list of worst-affected states, but the focus is shiting to politics, with just 10 months let to the State Assembly election.
The term of the current Assembly ends by May 2021.
Tamil Nadu recorded 5834 positive cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the state tally to 3,08,649. Chennai reported 986 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 1,11,054.
Tamil Nadu recorded 118 deaths on Tuesday, puting the state toll at 5159.
Even as the political heat is rising, a rit is seen emerging in the ruling Anna DMK ( ADMK), a party led by two people from two groups. While deputy chief minister O Pannerselvam (OPS) is also party coordinator, the chief minister, Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS), is also co-coordinator. The strange set-up was worked out in 2017, as two warring groups led by the two leaders merged and threw out VK Sasikala, confidant of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa. EPS and OPS had been pulling together ever since as Sasikala remained in jail, serving a sentence for massive corruption.
State minister Sellar Raju was the first to raise the issue of leadership last week.
He said the ADMK is yet to decide on the chief minister candidate.
“The party is led by two leaders,” he stressed, pointing to the arrangement worked out ater the merger.
Raju also referred to the fact that Jayalalithaa nominated OPS to be chief minister three times when she had to stand aside due to legal compulsions.
In that sense, he is the senior to EPS, who became chief minister only when Sasikala named him as she was forced to go to jail.
But EPS supportes immediately sprang to assert, insisting that he is indeed the chief minister candidate.
Ministers Jayakumar, Rajenthra Bhalaji and RB Udhayakumar threw their weight behind Palaniswami. OPS played cool. When mediapersons asked him who will lead the ADMK in the elections, his response was a counter-question. “What’s the hurry in deciding that?” he asked, and evaded any further question on that.
More than the content of what the ministers said, their tones were significant. There was anger as Raju spoke. It was the same with Jayakumar too, suggesting that the issue is raising emotions in the party.