Tamil Nadu's ruling AIADMK needs to evolve a collective leadership to galvanise its cadres, who are against the present dispensation, and move forward, a former MP has said.
The lack of massive support at the grassroots level for General Secretary VK Sasikala is evident across the state where her posters and banners are being torn down.
Also Read: Why Exactly Do You Hate Sasikala?
According to him, the party had collective leadership when MG Ramachandran was ill in 1984 and the party faced the assembly polls and won.
Palaniswamy and other AIADMK leaders agreed that Sasikala could have waited for some time before rushing forward.
A senior party leader, on condition of anonymity told IANS: “Over a period, the Sasikala clan put its people in all the party posts. In the government also they have put their people.”
He said the party seniors had to agree to Sasikala's leadership to protect the party from breaking up and prevent its cadres being poached.
Though it is said that Sasikala was a close aide to Jayalalithaa, people within and outside the party knew that the former was playing a key political role from the background.
According to Palaniswamy, the Sasikala juggernaut would have waited for some time had only Chief Minister O Panneerselvam asked her to wait for some time as the mood was against her.
The former MP does not foresee a split in the party, but the disenchantment of the cadres with the current leadership could impact the party's fortunes during the local body elections.
However, he agreed that there is a negative view against the party owing to the recent developments.
A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader told IANS: "The AIADMK now runs the risk of losing sizeable genetically anti-DMK votes. Now people would compare between Sasikala and (DMK acting head MK) Stalin. Given the current mood, Stalin may be preferred over Sasikala."
"Collective leadership is ideal for all political parties, but it will not happen in the AIADMK now. The current leadership will be tested only at the polls," political analyst Gnani Shankaran told IANS.
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