Rightward Is The Glance

He lacks the command and stature of J. Jayalalitha. Nor does he have the gift of the gab of the late AIADMK leader바카라�s lifelong opponent M. Karunanidhi, 93. What chief minister Edappadi K. Palanisamy revels in is sil­ence바카라�something his predecessor O. Panneer­selvam had slowly managed to come out of, gaining confidence after his ­revolt against the party바카라�s rival-camp leader V.K. Sasikala.

But behind that inscrutable quietude lies the mind of a master manipulator who has outmanoeuvred his challengers, kept his flock together and wormed him­s­elf into the good books of faraway Delhi: the 63-year-old announced the support of his group to the NDA바카라�s presidential candidate. 바카라�The speed with which EPS (Pal­anisamy) not only forced OPS and TTV (Dhinakaran, AIADMK바카라�s deputy general secretary) to follow suit, it also earned him the trust and goodwill of (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi and (BJP pre­sident) Amit Shah,바카라� says a BJP leader.

And the union government quickly warmed up to him by inviting Palanisamy to the swearing-in of Ramnath Kovind at Parliament House. Modi even granted him a long audience. The NDA ministers also lent a patient hearing in favour of exempting Tamil Nadu from the NEET for medical admissions. Two days later, on July 27, when the PM visited the southern state to inaugurate former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam바카라�s memorial, Modi made sure the CM was next to him throughout the two-hour function at coastal Rameswaram.

AIADMK바카라�s Saidai Duraisamy recalls that the BJP initially backed OPS after his revolt this February and viewed EPS with suspicion since he was Sasikala바카라�s chosen proxy. 바카라�Soon, the Delhi bosses discovered that EPS was nobody바카라�s man. The way he quickly distanced himself from Sasikala and Dhinakaran and was ready to do Delhi바카라�s bidding surprised them,바카라� says the former Chennai mayor. 바카라�The likes of Shah were further impressed with the way EPS rejected OPS바카라� terms for merger and yet managed to retain his majority in the House. They saw in him an astute politician.바카라� EPS, according to Duraisamy, was 바카라�always politically shr­ewd and a great survivor who found a new life as a political master, once he got power as CM and the support of Delhi.바카라�

Ambiguity is another weapon EPS eff­ectively uses to confuse rivals. He has so far refrained from openly disowning eit­her Sasikala or Dhinakaran even while sending signed affidavits to the Election Commission endorsing the jailed leader as the party바카라�s general secretary. 바카라�Only his ministers have spoken about kee­ping (Sasikala바카라�s) Mannargudi family out of party politics바카라�. EPS hasn바카라�t uttered a word,바카라� points out a senior minister. 바카라�At the same time, he is doing everything to keep the Sasikala clan in check바카라�a promise he has made to the BJP.바카라� Informed sources say EPS may openly spell out his move once the EC rules on the legitimacy of Sasikala바카라�s appointment as party general secretary.

But when matters come to a head, EPS has proved to be assertive as well. Dhinakaran, after a self-imposed sanyas for two mon­ths, announced resuming active work by convening a meeting of office-bearers on August 5 at the party headquarters. To preempt him, EPS, who is the headquarters secretary, convened his own meeting of top leaders on August 1바카라�and got finance minister D. Jayakumar to assert, 바카라�The party and government are being led ably by the CM바카라�. That was to send the message out that Dhinakaran should not cross the Lakshman rekha by entering the party office. Already, EPS had all the posters and portraits of Sasikala removed from the party HQ in April to demonstrate to the OPS faction that he too was keen to keep the discredited family out of party politics.

As a more assertive EPS attempted to shield the party and government from the influence of the Sasikala clan, Dhina­karan was forced to make peace with his warring uncle Divakaran, the younger brother of 60-year-old Sasikala. 바카라�The family had to first contend with the rev­olt of OPS바카라�and just when it thought it had a diehard loyalist in EPS, he has proved to be a bigger rebel,바카라� points out legislator Tha­nga Thamizselvan, a Dhin­akaran supporter. 바카라�So much so that the family had to hurriedly close ranks. That has been the EPS effect.바카라�

Even as OPS hemmed and hawed over conditions for merger, EPS quietly went about undercutting Panneerselvan바카라�s sup­port base, weaning away two MLAs from the OPS ranks by fulfilling their constituency demands. This gave second tho­ughts to other MLAs and MPs of the OPS faction about the usefulness of sticking with OPS. 바카라�Unless OPS effects a merger in the coming weeks, almost his entire camp will migrate towards EPS,바카라� cauti­ons an MLA from the OPS camp.

EPS has dangled another carrot to cause disquiet in the OPS camp: ministerial berths at the Centre. While this has definitely tempted a few pro-OPS MPs like V. Maithreyan, EPS has got the BJP to impose one condition. Any representation in the Union ministry can happen only if both the factions merged. This would ensure that the EPS government had the cushion of about ten more MLAs (from OPS camp) in case Dhinakaran decides to undermine the state regime. 바카라�Being part of the Union government could also deter Dhinakaran from destabilising EPS since he and his aunt are facing ED cases,바카라� says a senior MLA from the EPS camp. 바카라�At the same time, the CM also risks being part of Modi government바카라�s unpopular decisions like trimming rat­ion subsidies and rolling out gas and oil projects in farmlands.바카라�

To maintain balance, EPS has to show that he also got some good deals from Delhi바카라�like exemption from NEET (if that happens), special central government projects and preventing arrests of Tamil fishermen by Sri Lanka. Even for the BJP, a liaison with the EPS-led AIADMK comes with its own negatives. 바카라�The BJP hopes that a mere tie-up with the AIADMK will politically strengthen it in the state,바카라� pointed out a senior bur­eaucrat. 바카라�But many of its econo­mic decisions run counter to the state바카라�s own freebie culture and heavily subsidised approach. The BJP could also be tainted by the massive corruption charges agai­nst the present regime in the state.바카라� Modi바카라�s claim of a scam-free government could actually be threatened by the prospect of AIADMK central ministers ready to cut deals.

Many of his detractors had beli­eved that EPS will trip when he faced the assembly, as the AIA­DMK was racked by factionalism. But the CM tiptoed his way through the budget session, winning over the DMK by sparing its errant MLAs from disciplinary action for bringing disrepute to the Speaker바카라�s chair and then by exempting Karunanidhi from personal appearance. EPS then won the applause of all the MLAs by giving them a hefty hike in their salaries and perks. 바카라�He knows how to recompense,바카라� chuckles a senior DMK MLA.

The coming days could test the cunning and staying power of Palanisamy. How far will Dhinakaran go to challenge his authority on August 5? What happens if the EC rules in favour of Sasikala in app­­ointing her as general secretary? Also, EPS has to ready the party to face local body elections, once the HC fixes a deadline for holding them. The smooth opera­tor needs to make smart moves swiftly.

By G.C. Shekhar in Chennai