Outside Jayalalithaa’s Veda Nilayam on Saturday evening, Sathya Krishna held up his latest acquisition for all to see. It was a credit card-sized piece of plastic that depicted former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and AIADMK interim general secretary V.K. Sasikala together.
At the end of an interaction in which he voiced support for Ms. Sasikala, Mr. Krishna requested a private conversation. “I am now going to Greenways Road,” he chuckled, referring to interim Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam’s residence.
As it turns out, the MGR fan is leaning towards Mr. Panneerselvam. “I was pained by how Amma’s death was handled. Like Tamilians all around the world, I have questions,” he said. Mr. Krishna, however, supported Ms. Sasikala loudly whenever an AIADMK member was within earshot.
Leaders in SUVs kept pouring into Poes Garden on Saturday, but even those assembled outside Veda Nilayam, seemed divided. S. Raja said he had dropped in to witness the events at Poes Garden during a break. He had travelled from Dharmapuri to sell flowers at the Parrys market. “Back home, there is a lot of anger about what is going on. OPS is a decent man; he should have been given more time to prove himself,” he said.
What should worry the Sasikala camp is the near-absence of women in its ranks. When the interim general secretary emerged from Jayalalithaa's residence to travel to the private resort where party MLAs are sequestered, merely 16 women assembled outside to meet her.
In contrast, Mr. Panneerselvam’s team continues to attract women. Most of them support Jayalalithaa’s niece Deepa Jayakumar too. They hope she will join forces with the former.
“I agree with Deepa about claims to property, but she should stop trying to destroy our party,” said S. Sheela Sundar of Pudupet. She said she was firmly behind Ms. Sasikala, but acknowledged a difference of opinion within her sphere of influence.“It will all get better once we come to power,” she said.
“A woman should come where a woman once sat,” said Jaya Devi, who had organised the women to welcome Ms. Sasikala as she emerged from Veda Nilayam. For her, only the interim general secretary fits that bill.
