Caste cauldron in AIADMK simmers after Jaya’s death

COIMBATORE: The caste cauldron has started simmering in AIADMK as the party’s succession plan is slowly getting a shape. Soon after news of the late chief minister J Jayalalithaa was put on life support after the grave cardiac arrest, hectic parleys began for the top posts in the party as well as the government. A tug of war broke out between the thevar and gounder lobbies in AIADMK over sharing of power.
AIADMK insiders say the voices demanding more power for gounders who wield enormous heft in the party, next to Thevars, got louder during the closed door huddles.There was very little discussion over who must succeed Jayalalithaa as chief minister and O Panneerselvam, a thevar was chosen without much hassle. But it was the question of who would succeed Jayalalithaa as the party general secretary that sparked a debate. Names of Sasikala Natarajan and her relative Diwakaran were tossed, both thevars. While not many dared to oppose Sasikala openly, there was stiff resistance for Diwakaran, a rank outsider as far as the party was concerned. It was then that the question of caste was raised and demands to accommodate gounders in the higher echelons of the party were raised.
Gounders, with a sizeable representation in party structure, grabbed the situation and demanded the post of general secretary. Out of the 50 district units of AIADMK, roughly 26% is headed by kallars, maravars or agamudayars — the three sub-castes of thevars, who are also known as mukkalathors.
Gounders account for about 14 % of the district secretaries. Not just district secretaries, among MLAs and ministers too gounders make the second- or third-largest caste block in the party. From veterans of MGR era like C Ponnayan, M Thambidurai and K A Sengottayan to the relatively new leaders like S P Velumani, Edapadi Palanisamy and Senthil Balaji, the gounders make an influential block in AIADMK.
Thevars have an equally long list of leaders holding power in every layer of AIADMK, and wield enviable influence by virtue of Sasikala’s presence.
But even non -gounder leaders were uncomfortable with the proposition of both key posts — chief minister and party general secretary — being given to one caste. Even if the now famous thevar vote bank of AIADMK needed to be appeased, party leaders pointed out accumulation of power with one caste would be detrimental to garner votes of other castes.
“Amidst the parleys, the names of party veterans like Rajya Sabha deputy speaker M Thambidurai, a gounder, made the rounds for the post of general secretary,” said an AIADMK functionary from Trichy. Suggestions of granting the post of deputy chief minister to a gounder leader were also made. But eventually, rift emerged in the gounder lobby and few senior leaders, who were handpicked and groomed in party hierarchy by Sasikala in the recent years, expressed their unconditional backing for her. By Tuesday evening, the gounder lobby lost steam, apparently after intervention of Sasikala, who has promised to give them a “fair deal”.
“We expect an announcement of dates of party general council and executive council where the new general secretary would be elected,” said a party functionary.