CHENNAI: Even as senior political leaders within the AIADMK are openly pleading with V.K. Sasikala, the “surrogate sister” of late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, to take over the mantle of the party leadership, some political commentators feel this gesture is more a compromise than a consensus.
According to Professor Ramu Manivannan, who teaches at the Department of Politics and Public Administration in the University of Madras, the foremost concern of senior party leaders, MLAs and the Ministers would be to remain in their posts for the remaining tenure of four-and-a-half years of the government.
“There is a leadership crisis within the party. People within the party do not have an alternative. Naturally, it is the survival instincts which are behind their decisions. It (senior leaders’ public support to Sasikala) is more a compromise than any kind of consensus,” he contends.
“Her leadership would be put to test only when she leads her party in electoral politics. None of the MLAs or Ministers would want to forego their power and stand in an election which they are not sure of who would win it for them.”
But, for journalist and political commentator ‘Gnani’ Sankaran, the developments within the AIADMK haven’t come as a surprise. He says leaders from other political parties, senior AIADMK leaders and the media always knew Ms. Sasikala was acting from behind the scenes even when Jayalalithaa was alive.
“The only difference is while earlier Sasikala was taking decisions in the shadow of Jayalalithaa without any accountability, now she would be taking decisions and would be accountable for them,” he says.
It is a well-known fact that Ms. Sasikala was holding discussions with all political parties over alliance or other issues and Jayalalithaa would only come for the photo opportunity, he quips.
Replying to a query on grass-root level AIADMK workers’ accepting Ms. Sasikala as their leader, he says, “katchi thondan (cadre) is only an emotional slave of the party. What is needed now is to appeal to his emotions and that is already being done.”
The real test
Another commentator says the equals (leaders) within the party are rallying behind a more than equal — Ms. Sasikala. “The local body polls in Tamil Nadu would be the real test for Sasikala’s leadership. The grass-root level party workers support to her or the absence of it can be ascertained only in the future.”
Asked whether Ms. Sasikala had sufficient knowledge of issues facing the State, he says, “She didn’t get an opportunity to air her comments on various issues. But as the (probable) general secretary of the party, she would be able to air her opinions in the future.”
(The article was published in The Hindu on December 12, 2016)
According to Professor Ramu Manivannan, who teaches at the Department of Politics and Public Administration in the University of Madras, the foremost concern of senior party leaders, MLAs and the Ministers would be to remain in their posts for the remaining tenure of four-and-a-half years of the government.
“There is a leadership crisis within the party. People within the party do not have an alternative. Naturally, it is the survival instincts which are behind their decisions. It (senior leaders’ public support to Sasikala) is more a compromise than any kind of consensus,” he contends.
“Her leadership would be put to test only when she leads her party in electoral politics. None of the MLAs or Ministers would want to forego their power and stand in an election which they are not sure of who would win it for them.”
But, for journalist and political commentator ‘Gnani’ Sankaran, the developments within the AIADMK haven’t come as a surprise. He says leaders from other political parties, senior AIADMK leaders and the media always knew Ms. Sasikala was acting from behind the scenes even when Jayalalithaa was alive.
“The only difference is while earlier Sasikala was taking decisions in the shadow of Jayalalithaa without any accountability, now she would be taking decisions and would be accountable for them,” he says.
It is a well-known fact that Ms. Sasikala was holding discussions with all political parties over alliance or other issues and Jayalalithaa would only come for the photo opportunity, he quips.
Replying to a query on grass-root level AIADMK workers’ accepting Ms. Sasikala as their leader, he says, “katchi thondan (cadre) is only an emotional slave of the party. What is needed now is to appeal to his emotions and that is already being done.”
The real test
Another commentator says the equals (leaders) within the party are rallying behind a more than equal — Ms. Sasikala. “The local body polls in Tamil Nadu would be the real test for Sasikala’s leadership. The grass-root level party workers support to her or the absence of it can be ascertained only in the future.”
Asked whether Ms. Sasikala had sufficient knowledge of issues facing the State, he says, “She didn’t get an opportunity to air her comments on various issues. But as the (probable) general secretary of the party, she would be able to air her opinions in the future.”
(The article was published in The Hindu on December 12, 2016)
No comments:
Post a Comment