Old Man Of The South

• Tamil Nadu CM M. Karunanidhi has been indulging in bhai-bhaiism with Karnataka counterpart B.S. Yediyurappa
• Karunanidhi visited Bangalore to unveil the statue of Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar on August 9
• Then, on August 13, Yediyurappa unveiled a statue of Kannada poet Sarvagna in Chennai
• Both gestures are seen as important, for Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have frequently been at loggerheads
• Karunanidhi has now invited Andhra Pradesh CM Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy for the celebration of the birth centenary of the DMK founder, Annadurai, to be held on September 15
   

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Is M. Karunanidhi getting an image makeover, taking on the role of a statesman armed with a licence to settle all festering issues so that everyone can live happily ever after? After his recent attempts at bhai-bhaiism—the statue diplomacy with Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa, his invitation to Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy for the Annadurai birth centenary celebrations, scheduled for September 15—that’s the buzz in Chennai. What next? Will he now invite Kerala chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan for talks over black coffee on the Mullaperiyar dam?

In Bangalore, after unveiling the statue of Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar, Karunanidhi spoke with warmth. “I decided 18 years ago, when the controversy over the statue erupted, I wouldn’t attend any public function in Bangalore,” he said. “Today, my thambi Yediyurappa has made me break my vow.” Yediyurappa responded enthusiastically. “Let people of both states move forward together—we are Indians first, Kannadigas and Tamilians only afterwards,” he said.

Many believe that Karunanidhi is ready to play father figure, now that he has virtually handed over the reins of the state to son M.K. Stalin, whom he made deputy chief minister in May. Since then, sources say, petitions to the chief minister’s cell have dwindled from 300 a day to just 40-50, while Stalin clearly has become the go-to guy for the public, businessmen and investors.

Apparently, Karunanidhi is now aiming to solve the Cauvery water-sharing issue between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. He had earlier talked with Karnataka chief ministers Devaraj Urs, J.H. Patel, Deve Gowda and S.M. Krishna about it. But 40 years on, the problem remains unsolved despite a tribunal awarding 419 tmc ft of water to Tamil Nadu and 270 to Karnataka: the award, in February 2007, triggered riots and even started a tit-for-tat spat between the film industries of the two states. Karunanidhi, it is said, wants to be the one who brings the issue to a closure while he is chief minister. Novelist Charu Nivedita says, “There’s a change in Karunanidhi’s attitude, perhaps it’s age, or he is understanding issues in the right perspective. He has probably realised that Tamils in Karnataka, particularly the poor ones, will suffer more if riots break out again there.”

But Cho Ramaswamy, the editor of Thuglaq, is dismissive: “He just wants to paint a large image of himself and thinks people will buy it.” As proof of Karunanidhi’s pretensions, he points to the recent spat between him and aiadmk chief Jayalalitha. “Days after he called Yediyurappa thambi, Karunanidhi was calling Jayalalitha thirumathi (Mrs), when she’s always described herself as selvi (Miss),” says Ramaswamy. “His juvenile retort when she protested was that as long as she referred to his government as a ‘minority’ government he will continue to address her as thirumathi!”

But Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi mla Ravikumar is more charitable. He says, “While statues aren’t a new thing, this is different. It has new meaning and is seen as a humanitarian gesture.” He says the exchange of cultural symbols—Thiruvalluvar in Bangalore and Sarvagna in Chennai—has “set the stage for new politics” and that the current climate is conducive to solving old rows.

Is it? Or does political willingness not really translate into immediate bonhomie on the ground? For, despite the lovefest between the two chief ministers, their bureaucrats were slugging it out at a meeting called by Union power secretary H.S. Brahma to sort out hurdles in implementing four hydel projects across the Cauvery basin. Karnataka insisted it would implement the Shivasamudram project, while Tamil Nadu reiterated that all the hydel projects—Shivasamudram, Hogenakkal, Mekedatu and Rasimanal—be taken up by the National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC).

Days later, Tamil Nadu followed up with a fresh petition in the Supreme Court to restrain Karnataka from executing the Shivasamudram project till the adjudication of the appeals against the final award of the Cauvery Tribunal. A two-judge bench has issued notices to the Karnataka government. Last November, Tamil Nadu had filed a petition seeking to restrain Karnataka from executing the Shivasamudram and Mekedatu hydroelectric projects. There are other contradictions too—on August 6, Yediyurappa approached New Delhi to pressure Tamil Nadu to halt the Hogenakkal project, which aims to give drinking water to fluoride-affected Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts.

But the question is whether saying all the right things—“A new chapter has begun” (Yediyurappa) and “We are not unveiling statues but opening the hearts of people” (Karunanidhi)—will soften the belligerence. Karunanidhi, on his return from Bangalore, was pestered on whether statue diplomacy would work. He was guarded: he said the rights of the state were non-negotiable, but also added that “definitely an amicable solution will be found”.

Sources say Karunanidhi might now be amenable to withdrawing a petition filed by his government in the Madras High Court, challenging the Centre’s decision to grant classical language status to Kannada. This was one of the demands made by Kannada activists in a pil in the Karnataka High Court on the eve of the unveiling of the Thiruvalluvar statue. “These are emotive issues that create headlines, through which some try to elevate themselves,” says a source.

Karunanidhi is in the best position to take the gamble. People can see he is on the verge of retirement and has no political axe to grind. More importantly, he has complete hold on his party and won’t be challenged. Says Charu Nivedita, “One only hopes he has a similar change in attitude towards Jayalalitha.”