Have politicians swallowed the truth serum?
It’s like politicians here have been given the truth serum. There is no other explanation for the political class, usually given to generalities even when they are attacking a rival orclaiming martyrdom (as in: "I’ll resign from politics if the allegation isproved") pulling out all stops to reveal old secrets kept under the hat. But that Karunanidhi, who has been in politics for 60 years, is leaking information like a sieve is surprising. Many in the state must be hoping that in an unguarded moment, he will reveal the terms of the settlement that led to the Marans coming back to the first family fold last December. Or maybe, we’ll have to wait till the next election and a rift with the Maransagain!
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Vaiko, one of the most charismatic leaders of the DMK who was turfed out in 1993, had hopes of becoming the DMK chief, says Karunanidhi in a poem published in the DMK’s official mouthpiece,Murasoli. Now, Vaiko nursing such an ambition is not new nor is the speculation that he exited when it became clear that Karunanidhi preferred his son Stalin, who hadnothing going for him at the time, as his political heir.
What is new is Karunanidhi’s revelation that there was a conversation between DMK’s senior leaders Arcot Veeraswamy, Durai Murugan and Vaiko and the latter’s shock on hearing from them that Stalin was being considered as the heir apparent. But he was mollified and toldthat he would be made party president in due course. Vaiko’s counter, which reportedly distressed Veeraswamy and Murugan, was: "If Kalaignar (as Karunanidhi is referred to) lives long like Periyar and Rajaji, how many years should I wait for becoming the president?" Actually, inretrospect, one can say that Vaiko was blessed with clairvoyance.
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But, coming back to the story, the two leaders apparently made a pact to keep this secret. But Veeraswamy seems to have tattled because Karunanidhi is writing poems about it!
How TN has so many Kazhagams
Karunanidhi has also spilt the beans of a merger that never happened. That Panruti Ramachandran, who as presidium chairman of the DMDK is Vijayakant’s adviser, was responsible for scuttling a merger between the DMK and AIADMK. Karunaidhi claims that MGR, who had walked out of the DMK to set up the AIADMK in 1972, wanted to get back into the mother party. He even agreed to Karunanidhi’s condition that the latter be president. MGR apparently said that both of them should convene their executive councils and get a resolution passed favouring the merger. According to Karunanidhi, it was during MGR’s trip to Vellore that Panruti worked on him and got him to change his mind. And so it is that TN’s political canvas not only has these two parties but several offshoots like MDMK, DMDK and most recently, MNMK(Manitha Neya Makkal Katchi which is the political arm of the Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam.
Ramadoss spills the beans
When PMK’s S Ramadoss dumped the DMK and went to the AIADMK, he was quite voluble-- a penchant with him, by the way -- about the octogenarian. For instance, he contested Karunanidhi’s self-proclaimed badge of courage and martyrdom for the Sri Lankan Tamil cause. "State politics, change of governments at the Centre and changes in political coalitions were the reasons for the dismissal of DMK’s state governments, and not the Eelam issue as claimed by Karunanidhi," he said. He pointed out that when Karunanidhi’s government was dismissed in 1977, the civil war had not even started in Sri Lanka. He was dismissed because of his opposition to the emergency, but then prime minister Indira Gandhi used the corruption charges brought by MGR to justify it.
In 1991, when Karunanidhi was dismissed again, it was his proximity to V P Singh, who was elected to power at the height of the Bofors scandal in which Rajiv Gandhi was accused of being involved, that was the final nail in the coffin. Among the charges cited by then PM Chandrasekhar, who was propped up by the Congress, was Karunaidhi’s softnesstowards the LTTE.
Amma’s unbeatable combination
While the DMK looked forlorn with allies marching out one by one, AIADMK supremo crowed that she had stitched up an unbeatable combination. The PMK was happy at being allotted 7 seats and the CPI happy with its quota of 3 seats. But Jayalalitha may have spoken too soon because she ran into trouble this week with her alliance partners, CPIM and MDMK, over seat sharing. Tirupur, the knitwear town which is currently grim ever since orders from overseas began drying up, is the bone of contention. Even CPIM head Prakash Karat came on the double this week, but no headway was made. But Amma will have to make many concessions if she wants to retain her "unbeatable combination."
Vaiko’s diminishing importance
Amma had won over the MDMK to her side on the eve of the 2006 elections, in exactly the same manner she went after and snagged the PMK in her net this time. MDMK might be Jayalalitha’s oldest ally, but itis also the most ragged today with at least five senior leaders including founding members quitting and going back to the DMK. Elections are a good time to getthe violins playing -- I could not survive without the DMK/ Vaiko was mean / I am upset at Vaiko’s association with amma-- hoping voters won’t see through politicians’ political opportunism. While MPs Gingee Ramachandran and L Ganesan dumped Vaiko several months ago, recent turncoats include co-founder Kannappan, election wing secretary T K Subramaniam and Cumbum MLA Ramakrishnan. Many more were considering the crossover except now that Amma has brought in PMK, her alliance seems to have an edge over the DMK-Congress alliance.
Vaiko is a classic case of a politician who frittered away his image as a possible alternative to Karunanidhi. He was a fiery orator, has a clean image and had charisma that attracted cadre. But he failed to cash in on that even declining then PM A B Vajpayee’s offer to join his ministry. He could have broad based his party by accepting Vajpayee’s offer. In 1998, Jayalalitha had given him and the PMK five tickets each. The PMK worked that to its advantage and has had a central minister since then and even has 18 MLAs. Vaiko, on the other hand, only has 2 MPs and 5 MLAs left. Which is why Amma is driving a hard bargain although he’s asking for 5 seats.
He’s supposed to be considering walking out. He has three options -- going alone, going with the BJPor going with the DMDK, whose leader Vijaykanth has said that with God and the people on his side he needs no ally. Incidentally, Vijaykanth, in the thick of campaigning after getting an early start last Sunday from Kanyakumari, is already fielding accusations from hispartymen that he is handing out tickets only to "wealthy" candidates. Among the candidates he has picked is Pandiarajan, the head honcho of Ma Foi Consultants.
