Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam appealed to all AIADMK MLAs and Ministers to unite to form a stable government.

Addressing party workers after the Supreme Court upheld the conviction of VK Sasikala, General Secretary of the AIADMK, in a corruption case, he said developments of the last one week should not break the AIADMK’s unity.

The party had faced a temporary challenge and that should be put behind, he said, referring to Sasikala’s vying for the CM’s post, which resulted in a split in the ruling party as supporters separated into two groups. The present government will continue, he said, and urged all legislators to come together. Anxious supporters started gathering outside the chief minister’s official residence, awaiting news of the apex court’s decision on the case referred to as the disproportionate assets case. Police was out in force regulating traffic, putting up barricades and controlling the crowds.

Celebrations

All eyes were on a large screen television set up under a shamiana outside the CM’s house. At about 10:40 am, as news of Sasikala and two of her relatives being convicted by a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court broke – the crowd went ecstatic, bursting fire crackers and shouting slogans praising OPS (as Panneerselvam is called). Former chief minister Late J Jayalalithaa is the first accused in the case, but the appeal against her has abated following her demise. The joy among AIADMK supporters contrasted sharply with the despondency that descended on them when the original judgement was pronounced by the Special Court in Bengaluru.

Previous verdict

Earlier, on September 27, 2014, the court had found Jayalalithaa, along with Sasikala, and two of Sasikala’s relatives – VN Sudhagaran and J Ilavarasi – guilty of amassing wealth estimated at ₹66 crore, during her previous tenure as Chief Minister between 1991 and 1996. All four were acquitted by the Bangalore High Court in 2015 and the Karnataka government went on to appeal in the Supreme Court.

When the original conviction was handed out by the lower court, the entire Tamil Nadu Cabinet, MLAs and party supporters went into mourning. Violence broke out across the State and Chennai came to halt. When OPS was sworn in as CM along with a new cabinet after Jayalalithaa stepped down, they made a public display of grief as they sobbed and bawled during the swearing-in ceremony.

Today, as OPS’s political rival Sasikala is disqualified from holding public office, the chief minister is still not out of the woods. He needs the support of the MLAs, about 100 of them, who are in Sasikala’s camp. OPS has the support of about 10 MLAs from the AIADMK’s stable of 134 legislators. Some are undecided. The total strength of the Tamil Nadu Assembly is 234.

Meanwhile Sasikala, who had been elected the Leader of the Legislature Party unanimously on February 5, has named Edappadi K Palanisamy as the CM candidate in her stead.

OPS, who resigned after Sasikala was elected leader, tried to withdraw his resignation claiming he was forced to resign. The final word will come from the office of the Governor, Vidyasagar Rao.

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