The power struggle involving the AIADMK, Tamil Nadu’s main opposition party, took a twist Tuesday after six-time MLA Manoj Pandian – a prominent member of the influential Nadar community – jumped to rivals DMK, joining it in the presence of Chief Minister MK Stalin.
Pandian launched a stinging attack on AIADMK boss Edappadi K Palaniswami as he did so, accusing the ex-Chief Minister of having ‘mortgaged’ the party to the BJP. “Only the DMK can safeguard Dravidian ideology. AIADMK has become a wing of the BJP. MGR (i.e., party founder MG Ramachandran) and Jayalalitha (an iconic ex-Chief Minister) never mortgaged the party.”
Pandian is the son of veteran Tamil politician and ex-Speaker PH Pandian, who aligned himself with O Panneerselvam in the jostling for leadership that followed Jayalalithaa’s death in 2016.
His son followed suit. Although an AIADMK MLA, he was loyal to Panneerselvam.
EPS and OPS, as Palaniswami and Panneerselvam are called, were the main challengers in that jostle, and the former won. OPS was expelled after a court battle, leaving EPS in sole charge.
That rift appears to have re-emerged now, with a senior politician, KA Sengottaiyan, calling for OPS and other expelled leaders, including Jayalalithaa’s aide VK Sasikala, to be re-inducted.
He insisted only a ‘united’ AIADMK could defeat the ruling DMK-Congress.
Sengottaiyan, who put pressure on EPS to make that happen, was expelled Monday.
But any expectation of Pandian joining OPS’ camp – and potentially bringing Nadar votes (around 12 per cent of the population) – have been dashed by his switch to the DMK.
OPS has not yet responded to this development.
A senior AIADMK functionary reacted briefly to Manoj Pandian’s departure, and suggested OPS and the DMK are, in fact, in cahoots to cut the opposition party’s votes. “We have always said OPS is the DMK’s ‘B-team’… and this proves it,” the functionary told NDTV.
Pandian’s DMK switch is despite a strong emotional connection between his family and the party, as it was under Jayalalithaa, who placed significant trust in the father and son.
Apart from serving as the Assembly Speaker, PH Pandian was also a four-time MLA from Cheranmadevi, an AIADMK stronghold from 1977 till constituency boundaries were withdrawn in 2008. PH Pandian was also elected as the MP from his home district of Tirunelveli.
Also, Manoj Pandian’s mother, Cynthia Pandian, was appointed Vice-Chancellor of a state-run university, and his brother Arvindh Pandian was appointed Additional Advocate General.