Why Did Jayalalithaa Expel Sasikala?

Karunanidhi will be happy

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has expelled Sasikala, her husband Natarajan and her important family members from her party AIADMK two days back. Jayalalithaa has also driven Sasikala out of her residence Poes Garden in Chennai. This has created sensation in the political circles in Tamil Nadu. The DMK President and the former Chief Minister Karunanidhi should be feeling happy now. This is because Karunanidhi sees each and everything from the caste angle and he is particularly hostile to the Brahmins. Karunanidhi blamed the Brahmins even for his electoral defeat even though he fully knows that Brahmins form less than 5% of the population of Tamil Nadu. Karunanidhi attaches caste name to even media. For example he calls Brahmin media responsible for the 2G spectrum leak out. No wonder, Karunanidhi will use the present opportunity to cast aspersions on the Brahmin community. Karunanidhi may describe sending out of Sasikala by Jayalalithaa as a Brahmin chucking out a non-Brahmin from the house. Janata Party President Dr Subramaniam Swamy’s support for Jayalalithaa’s action will help Karunanidhi. Now Karunanidhi can say that a Brahmin’s action against a non-Brahmin is being supported by another Brahmin.

1996 break was temporary

If Karunanidhi’s likely reaction is predictable, the other factors are not easy to comprehend and predict accurately. For example, what was the reason for Jayalalithaa’s hostile action on Sasikala? Without some substantial reason, this event would not have happened. Jayalalithaa disowned Sasikala in 1996 in the aftermath of her electoral defeat at the hands of the DMK in 1996. Jayalalithaa herself was personally defeated in that election by E Sugavanam of the DMK party in her Bodinayakanur constituency. Everybody including the media blamed her friendship with Sasikala for the huge defeat of the AIADMK. Stung by this criticism, Jayalalithaa disowned Sasikala in a reflex action. It was evident that the action was being taken by Jayalalithaa in the spur of the moment and it would be revoked later. It happened and Sasikala was readmitted into the Poes Garden.

Situation has changed now

But the situation now is quite different. Jayalalithaa has tasted a mammoth electoral victory in the just concluded Assembly Elections in Tamil Nadu. The ruling party DMK tasted such a defeat that it could not even come as the principal opposition party. Jayalalithaa again tasted big victory in the just concluded local municipality and panchayat elections. She achieved this victory without any electoral alliance. Just when everything seems to be moving in the right directions for her, suddenly Jayalalithaa surprised everyone with her expulsion of Sasikala & Company from her residence as well as party. One finds difficult to attribute any reason for this action.

Interference could not have been the reason

Jayalalithaa has not disclosed any reason for her action. Some of her party leaders say requesting for anonymity that Jayalalithaa expelled Sasikala because of Sasikala’s interference in the administration. But this is very difficult to believe. Sasikala and her family were known to interfere in the administration whenever AIADMK came to power in the past. This has been going on for the last twenty years. Therefore interference in the administration could not have been the reason for this action. What then could be the reason?

Karunanidhi’s reasoning is simplistic

Instead of breaking our heads to search for reasons, it is easier to toe the line of Karunanidhi and say that Jayalalithaa chucked out Sasikala because Jayalalithaa was a Brahmin and Sasikala was a non-Brahmin. Karunanidhi considers every issue from the caste angle and it helps him to conclude things easily without breaking his head. But it raises more questions than it answers. Did Jayalalithaa not know that Sasikala was a non-Brahmin? Then why was she so friendly with Sasikala for the last twenty years? Even Karunanidhi will find it difficult to answer this question.

Sasikala wanted to turn into an approver?

What then could be the real reason? Jayalalithaa is enmeshed in the web of a court case against her framed by the erstwhile DMK government. She has been charge sheeted for possessing wealth disproportionate to her known sources of income. This case is now going on in Bangalore. Sasikala is also involved in the case as an accused party. If somebody had threatened Sasikala or bribed her with huge money to turn as an approver against Jayalalithaa in the case, it could definitely nail and fix Jayalalithaa. This is because Sasikala has been her friend for the past twenty years. She has been residing in the same house with Jayalalithaa in Poes Garden for the last twenty years except for a brief period of a few months’ break. Jayalalithaa has adopted Sasikala’s sister’s son V N Sudhakaran as her own son in 1995. She conducted the marriage of V N Sudhakaran in a spectacular fashion, spending crores and crores of rupees and showered motherly affection on him. After her death, Jayalalithaa’s properties will belong to V N Sudhakaran as the only legal heir and her son. Therefore there is little reason for Sasikala to have any grouse against Jayalalithaa. At this time, if Sasikala agrees to be an approver, the court will believe and accept her statement.

V N Sudhakaran will inherit Jayalalithaa’s property and estate after her death

Jayalalithaa should have intercepted this top secret news through her intelligence wing and decided to pre-empt Sasikala’s action. She chucked out Sasikala from her residence and the party. She expelled Sasikala’s close family members including her son V N Sudhakaran. Jayalalithaa had already disowned her son Sudhakaran. But in the eyes of the law, V N Sudhakaran is still her son. One can divorce and disown one’s spouse. But one cannot disown one’s father, mother, sister, brother, son, daughter, grandson, granddaughter, aunt, uncle and other relatives. Therefore V N Sudhakaran is the only legal heir of Jayalalithaa and all her vast property and estate will pass on to him after Jayalalithaa’s death. One can adopt a son, but one cannot disown the adopted son later for any reason. Law does not permit this. In view of this strong position in law, Jayalalithaa’s death will favour Sasikala’s family to inherit huge property and estate. Jayalalithaa could have suspected some foul play from Sasikala who was near her and in a position to do anything to her. This could have prompted Jayalalithaa to chuck Sasikala out of her house and party.

Master stroke by Jayalalithaa

One thing is clear. Sasikala either would have turned as an approver or some foul play could have been committed to end Jayalalithaa’s life itself in Poes Garden. In other words, the threat from Sasikala and her family to Jayalalithaa is more dangerous and alarming than the threat from LTTE. Now because of Jayalalithaa’s expulsion of Sasikala from the party and from her residence, Sasikala’s power to pin Jayalalithaa down by turning as an approver in the ongoing case will be very much diminished and almost gone. If Sasikala turns as approver from now onwards, the court will not believe her and Jayalalithaa will have a strong reason to question Sasikala’s motive. If this is indeed the real reason, then it is a master move by Jayalalithaa. The threat to Jayalalithaa’s life also has disappeared with Sasikala leaving the Poes Garden. But inspite of all these things, nothing can stop V N Sudhakaran inheriting Jayalalithaa’s property and estate after her death.