Sasikala, future CM of Tamil Nadu, um... who?

The term ‘Mannargudi mafia’ gained currency during the very first reign of Jayalalithaa (1991-96) and refers to the vast clan of Sasikala, her confidante who hails from Mannargudi, a small town on the banks of Cauvery in the central region of Tamil Nadu.

The clan’s reported depredations, whenever Jaya was in power, waxed and waned depending on the nod from her. There have been occasions when the late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister would issue statements banishing them all, barring her long-time companion Sasikala, of course, but they were never gone from the scene for good.

Now again the clan is becoming menacing yet again, as their mascot, also known as ‘Chinna Amma’ (roughly, mother’s younger sister or perhaps the second-in-command), seems poised to become ‘Amma’ herself. Senior party leaders including current Chief Minister O Paneerselvam are beseeching Sasikala to become the General Secretary of the AIADMK.  

In the past, Sasikala might have promoted the cause of her relations and her toadies in the party, but she herself has never been in the limelight except as the supremo’s trusted Woman Friday. She has not delivered a single speech thus far in public anywhere nor is anything much known about her education or her interests.  

What is known is that she hails from a dominant intermediate caste of the central and southern regions, and the Mukkulathor, as they are called, would be the second line of back-up for her, after her own clan.  But then they are not a numerically-large caste, forming as they do hardly seven per cent of the total population of the state. They are a landed caste, politically very influential, and notorious for their strong-arm ways.  

That in itself could prove a great disadvantage for Sasikala as other dominant backward castes like the Gounders and the Vanniars would not take kindly to the AIADMK that will be totally under the thumb of their rivals.  

Jayalalithaa used to balance conflicting interests, though the Mukkulathor would still be calling the shots, but now under Sasikala, things could change to the detriment of most other castes, a situation bound to hurt the AIADMK at the hustings.  

Still, if the chorus is rising for Sasikala, it is possibly for two reasons: 1. The enormous wealth of the late Jayalalithaa is seemingly at her disposal, with no will made public so far 2. There is no other face acceptable to the power-brokers at various levels—if they fight among themselves, the government would collapse, they know this pretty well.

The AIADMK government’s tenure is for another four long years, and one can hear them all licking their chops. After all, Sasikala’s share in any deal would be much less than if Jayalalithaa had been around. Closer to 2021 Assembly elections, the party might melt away for the lack of a charismatic leader, which Sasikala is most unlikely to turn into even by that time.  Still it is a win-win for now, hence the impending coronation of Sasikala.

The author is a senior journalist based in Chennai.