Chennai: Rattled at the BJP attempting to outsmart the AIADMK by projecting itself as the main opposition to the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu, EPS has been forced to retrieve lost ground by dispelling the impression that the Dravidian party is subservient to the saffron party. Content at issuing press releases critical of the MK Stalin administration, he was more focused on setting his house in order and keeping in check his rival, O Panneerselvam (OPS), heading a tiny fraction of the AIADMK. Now, he has started flexing his muscles and announced a series of state-wide protests.
With the AIADMK in disarray following the split and the ongoing legal battle for control of the party, BJP state president K Annamalai has occupied the media space with his no holds barred attack on the Stalin government and protests which drew large crowds in Chennai, Coimbatore and other places. The inaction of EPS, has greatly helped the BJP to make a determined attempt to encroach upon the space vacated by the AIADMK. Whether it was the Coimbatore blast for which the saffron parivar blamed the DMK's minority appeasement or taking on the state cabinet's Young Turks like V Senthil Balaji and PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan, it was Annamalai who was at the forefront.
Even many observers sympathetic to the AIADMK wondered at the studied silence of party leadership, especially EPS, on the BJP punching above its weight and Annamalai claiming that the BJP is the alternative to the ruling DMK. The BJP, despite the tall claims, has only four legislators in the Assembly, whose victory was made possible only due to the alliance with the AIADMK. On the other hand, the AIADMK led by EPS has 62 of the 66 MLAs loyal to him besides the support of 69 of the 75 party district secretaries. Besides himself, OPS has the support of only three MLAs and six district secretaries.
Unlike the DMK, protests and party conferences have never been the political culture of the AIADMK, though the cadres had come to the streets when Jayalalithaa was arrested and earlier when party founder, the iconic film star MG Ramachandran (MGR) sat on a dharna. Now, the rules of the game have changed since EPS is not a charismatic leader but one who was catapulted to the top by circumstances.
The recent heavy rains that lashed Chennai and several parts of Tamil Nadu provided an opportunity for EPS to visit the affected places and highlight the lapses in relief and restoration works. While Chennai did not offer much help since the city did not receive heavy rainfall as the deluge in 2015, he proceeded to the worst affected Mayiladuthurai district in the Cauvery delta even though Union Home Minister Amit Shah was in Chennai for a private event. But, OPS, who is close to the BJP, was in attendance.
Asked why he had skipped Shah's event, his response to the media was: “Why should I be there. He is a leader of a national party and we are a principal party in the state. We are allies. It does not mean it is necessary that I should receive him. In the case of the Prime Minister, it was an official visit, and I, being the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, had received him at the airport.”
On Friday, inaugurating a fast in Coimbatore to condemn the government for its 'vindictiveness' in ignoring the textile city in development works for voting in favour of the AIADMK, EPS announced similar protests across the state: in town Panchayats on December 9, at municipalities and municipal corporations on December 13 and at Panchayat Union headquarters on December 14. Describing Stalin as a 'doll' and 'inefficient', he challenged Stalin for an open debate.
Analysts are of the view that EPS can no longer be lethargic and allow the BJP to occupy the media space as well as visibility and be seen as inactive as it would prove costly. “EPS has a twin task of making the AIADMK visible by restoring the sagging morale of the cadre and sending a message to the BJP that the saffron party cannot overtake the AIADMK to be the alternative to the DMK. But, he is constrained to say the latter in public and he knows the consequences. And, it is true that the BJP is attempting to diminish the AIADMK and expect an exodus to its ranks from its ally. With the legal fight for the party still hanging like a Damocles' sword, he cannot remain complacent,” explains senior journalist Babu Jayakumar.
