When political drama repeats itself: Sasikala to get back home?

Chennai: When Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa expelled her long-term associate Sasikala from the AIADMK and her household along with a bunch of her influential relatives in December last, there was hardly any credible information available except the bare fact that they had been expelled. All that one read or heard was speculation or a reasonably cogent case based on circumstantial evidence rather than actual leads from the party or Jaya home. Not surprisingly, most of the stories and their details looked the same while the authors tried to be authentic by attributing their details to unnamed Jaya TV or party sources. The same level of speculation is active again with Sasikala pleading innocence of wrongdoing (by her relatives) and pledging absolute devotion to Jayalalithaa. The general belief now is that the stage is set for her comeback to the Jaya household as had happened in 1996. There is even a similarity of the approximate duration of the break between them. [caption id=“attachment_260014” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Is there a patch-up on the cards? Reuters”]  [/caption] However, what adds credence to the present speculation is that the sensational statement by Sasikala first appeared in Jaya TV. Although it also reached other media organisations in due course, it is  more or less or certain that it was first showed on Jaya TV. Even if it wasn’t the first to scroll the highlights of the statement, the mere fact that Jaya TV chose to flash them to its viewers is a certain give-away that Jaya may be favourably disposed to Sasi. Jaya TV is certainly unlikely to show such a statement without Jayalalithaa’s consent. Therefore, is there a patch-up? It appears so. And when is Sasikala expected to get back? Nobody knows, the same way as nobody knew when Sasikala had actually left Jayalalithaa’s Poes Garden residence in December. There is one more circumstantial evidence to show that all is not over between Jayalalithaa and Sasikala. In her statements to the Bangalore trial court that is presently hearing the disproportionate wealth case against her and Jayalalithaa, Sasikala has steadfastly stood by Jaya. Seemingly, she was determined to win back the lost confidence and get back to Poes Garden. Local media even went to the extent of analysing her body language while appearing in the Bangalore court to interpret that of late she appeared more confident and easy. In her statement, Sasikala, more or less confirms the wrongdoings of her relatives that the media had been alleging for some time. She said that the harm that her relatives have caused to Jaya was unforgivable and that she never knew what they were up to. She also said that those who betrayed her “sister” were not important to her and that she doesn’t have any truck with them any more. Perhaps in response to media reports that she and her relatives conspired to usurp power, Sasikala said that she had no interest in political or public life and her life was devoted to serving Jayalalithaa. So, will it be just Sasikala who will return to Poes Garden? Looks like it for the time being. Will it stay like that for ever? Nobody knows. But for the time being, it is just her. The state police is relentless on her close relative-associates. Four of them, including her husband, are in jail on a number of criminal cases: five cases against husband Natarajan, four cases against brother VK Divaharan and eight against another close relative Ravanan. The latest to get picked up was an influential liquor baron “Midas” Mohan. Anyway as the permanent general secretary of the party, Jayalalithaa perhaps knows what is good for her and the AIADMK as the Tamil Nadu electorate has time and again proved themselves to be extremely perceptive and decisive.