FOR a party that boasts of a rationalist ideology, it must have come as a shock. In the last week of March, Andhiyur Selvaraj, a DMK minister, took part in a temple fire-walking ceremony, ostensibly to ensure the survival of the ruling government. Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi was so peeved with this obscurantist act that he demanded a public apology. The fire-walking ceremony is part of the "Amman cult" of Tamil Nadu, where devotees walk barefoot on fire to ward off the evil eye.
"The DMK is not concerned about the longevity of its government. Its fundamental occupation is with its governance. I would be happy to lose power if it demands such barbaric, superstitious compliance. And there is no place for people who do not adhere to the guiding principles of the party," burst out Karunanidhi. Though the minister immediately wrote a letter of apology, Karunanidhi fumed about the need to be rational in public life.
But not everyone was happy with Karunanidhi's action, particularly not AIADMK general secretary J. Jayalalitha and the BJP. "How can Karunanidhi term an act of devotion barbaric? He has wounded the sentiments of millions of people who practise fire-walking annually, "Jayalalitha pointed out. Said L. Ganesan, general secretary of the BJP's state unit: "The chief minister has no qualms about attending Iftar parties, why is he so perturbed by fire-walking?" Political commentator and known BJP sympathiser Cho S. Ramaswamy declared: "Karunanidhi's description of a holy act as barbaric is the real barbaric act. He has been repeatedly humiliating Hindus for years. How can a chief minister do this?" For them it was just another opportunistic move by Karunanidhi to serve his political interests.
The chief minister, of course, was pre pared for the outburst and shot back at his detractors: "I am an atheist. The party's position is that it is not against any religion but it will not tolerate religious bigotry. There should be a difference between spirituality and superstition." In the assembly, Karunanidhi insisted there was no need for partymen or ministers to undertake the fire ordeal for the sake of his government. "We have overcome many ordeals in the past. We lost power for upholding democracy in 1976; for expressing solidarity with the Lankan Tamils, and we are prepared to lose power once again for the sake of upholding rationalism," he asserted.
The virulent attack against religious obscurantism was taken up in the party organ, Murusoli , too. The lead editorial, believed to have been written by Karunanidhi himself, questions the wisdom of the people who criticise his stand against fire-walking. It says: "What are people like Cho trying to say? Do they expect the chief minister to be spineless and accept the follies committed by colleagues? Doesn't he have the right to find fault with his partymen and admonish them when they stray from the party's cardinal principles? After all, Selvaraj is a member of the DMK and, as party president, Karunanidhi has the right to guide him."
Conscious of the Jayalalitha regime's excesses, Karunanidhi has been trying to steer clear of the 'leader is god' syndrome that has become a part of Tamil Nadu politics. As soon as he came to power, he banned cutouts of politicians or any, other act of deification of the individual. "The Dravidian movement is not enamoured of divine deities, so there is no need to deify mortals. Respect the human being," he told a gathering. All this is good enough but Karunanidhi is working for political gains too: to nail the AIADMK as best as possible. At public meetings, he often recounts tales from the Jayalalitha days--the Mahamagham tragedy, where many People died in a stampede as the police had to make way for the public bathing of Jayalalitha and former aide Sasikala; and the infamous Virgin Mary poster controversy where the former chief minister was portrayed as Virgin Mary--to drive home his point.
The chief minister says he is tired of the 'sycophancy' culture. As a result, if a ruling party member eulogises Karunanidhi, the chief minister admonishes the member and asks the speaker to delete the "passages of praise from the records". All in a bid to encourage MLAS to talk about real issues. But senior DMK leaders feel that the chief minister's efforts may be too little, too late. "These type of things should not have taken place in the DMK," observed historian S. Thiagarajan.
For most party cadres, the significant aspect of the campaign is that it sends a message that the DMK can never align with the BJP. Says a senior MP: "The Hindutva forces are not worried about the chief minister's statement. They fear that by keeping the idea of a federal, secular spirit alive, the DMK may ruin the saffron brigade's chances of getting a toehold in Tamil Nadu." ·
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