Ghosts of Kodanad murder case haunt AIADMK, rattle Palaniswami

Tamil Nadu former chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami (File image)

The Tamil Nadu government’s decision to revisit the investigation into the 2017 murder-cum-burglary at former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s Kodanad estate has set the cat among the pigeons on the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK); this has especially rattled former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami.

With Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader and Chief Minister MK Stalin’s decision on the matter, Palaniswami’s panic was visible when he tried to disrupt the assembly proceedings stating that the matter was sub judice.

Palaniswami, by his allegation that the DMK government is trying to implicate him in the case, has unwittingly brought the spotlight on him, and what would have otherwise gone as a routine investigation has now caught the attention of the people of the state. He rushed to meet Governor Banwarilal Purohit with a plea to stop the investigation, besides filing a petition in the Supreme Court with the same plea.

Kodanad estate was Jayalalithaa’s holiday retreat in the Western Ghats and is a place of importance for the AIADMK cadre — and the 2017 murder-burglary is a personal injury for the cadre. Given this, even an association of Palaniswami’s name with the events will make his position in the party untenable. An investigation, FIR and a trial in court will attract adverse publicity, tarnish his image as a faithful follower of Jayalalithaa, and derail his political career.

The state government’s move also comes at a time when the AIADMK is struggling to avert a rout in the rural local body elections in September. One of the promises made by the DMK in the run-up to the assembly polls was to reopen the Kodanad estate case. The murder of watchman Om Bahadur and the burglary on April 24, 2017, has all the trappings of a murder mystery — especially because, four days later on April 28, Kanagaraj, one of the accused in the case, was killed in an accident. The same day, Sayan, another accused in the case, narrowly escaped death though his wife and daughter were killed while the car they were travelling in was hit by a lorry.

What has turned the needle of suspicion on Palaniswami is the 2019 documentary released by Samuel Matthew, a former editor at Tehelka, where he alleges that the former chief minister contracted one of the accused.

A week after trying to raise the issue in the assembly, the AIADMK opposed a Congress motion in the assembly for a discussion on the subject. This volte face has further heightened the suspicion surrounding Palaniswami’s involvement.

These developments have also shaken up things in the AIADMK camp. AIADMK co-ordinator O Panneerselvam, who backed Palaniswami’s actions initially, has since then softened his tone towards the DMK. Panneerselvam even said that his father was a great admirer M Karunanidhi, erstwhile DMK leader and Stalin’s father. It should not be forgotten that the ever since the demise of Jayalalithaa in 2016 there has been a tussle between Palaniswami and Panneerselvam to claim the top spot in the party. Another fact which could have influenced Panneerselvam’s soft approach towards the DMK could be the recent allegations that the construction of government flats and buildings when he was the PWD minister were of poor quality.

Jayalalithaa’s close aide VK Sasikala too will be pleased about these developments since she fancies her chances of being reinstated in the AIADMK if Palaniswami is forced out. When some of the AIADMK district units passed a resolution in June against the entry of Sasikala into the party, Panneerselvam and his supporters refused to do so in districts under their control, indicating that he is open to a deal with her. Panneerselvam, who like Sasikala belongs to the Mukkulathor community, is aware that voters for this community deserted the AIADMK in the assembly elections because the party had abandoned Sasikala.

The reopening of the Kodanad case has weakened Palaniswami, and for him to be the party leader he needs to prove his innocence in the eyes of the AIADMK cadre. Will Panneerselvam, who maintains a good rapport with the DMK, manage to wrest the AIADMK’s control from Palaniswami? Will Sasikala make a comeback? This is a rare instance of a murder case having a severe impact on the future course of Tamil Nadu politics.

Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication.

N Ravikumar is a Chennai-based senior journalist.