Tamil Nadu is going through bad times, politically. Jayalalithaa and M. Karunanidhi—around whom the state’s politics revolved for decades—are out of the picture. While Jayalalithaa is no more, Karunanidhi has been keeping off politics owing to advanced age. Since these two leaders had grown beyond persons to become institutions, their absence has adversely affected both the DMK and the AIADMK.
In this scenario, two personalities to reckon with have emerged in the state’s politics. Kamal Haasan and Rajinikant, two movie stars who command the largest fan following in Tamil Nadu, have publicly challenged the state government.
The Congress and the BJP, which are national parties, are trying to find a place in the void created by a weak AIADMK. The PMK, too, is on the scene by projecting Anpumani as its leader and by offering an alternative to the existing style of politics.
Dravidian politics in disarray
The year 2017 will be written in letters of gold in the history of Dravida politics of Tamil Nadu. The Justice Party, which formed the base of the Dravidian movement, was formed one hundred years ago—in 1907. A Dravida party came to power in the state exactly 50 years ago, in 1967. Instead of celebrations, Tamil Nadu is facing the big question of whether that brand of politics is coming to an end.
Among the parties, the AIADMK is the worst-hit. With the demise of Jayalalithaa, the party has been rendered leaderless. V.K. Sasikala, who stepped in to succeed Jayalalithaa, has been imprisoned for amassing wealth illegally. The state of O. Paneerselvam, who challenged Sasikala and had been projected as the saviour of the AIADMK, now reminds one of a big-budget movie that flopped after extravagant publicity.
The Palaniswamy-led government in Tamil Nadu has turned out to be a puppet in the hands of the Central government after Sasikala was imprisoned and AIADMK deputy general secretary T.T.V. Dinakaran was caught in legal tangles. There is strong criticism that the issues confronting the state—ranging from restrictions on slaughter of cattle to NEET—have not been effectively conveyed to the Centre. The AIADMK suffers from absence of a strong and clear leadership. With the passing of Jayalalithaa, both the party and the party-led government are in disarray. Different ministers speak differently on the same issue. MLAs of the ruling party themselves move motion in the assembly against the government. There have been instances of MLAs of the AIADMK staging walkout from the assembly after talking tough with ministers. On observing the skirmishes in Jayalalithaa’s party, people of Tamil Nadu feels that it is Kali Yuga.
Though the DMK has created the image of a strong opposition under the leadership of Stalin, the absence of strategist Karunanidhi is keenly felt. Many in the DMK think that the party would have ruled the state had Karunanidhi been healthy and active in politics, thereby questioning Stalin’s leadership capabilities indirectly.
Dravida parties have always been a crowd that revolves around charismatic leaders. These parties have turned around axes such as Annadurai, Karunanidhi, MGR and Jayalalithaa. Now, the AIADMK is in a crisis owing to the absence of such a leader. The future of the DMK depends on whether Stalin can rise to the stature of such leaders.
Remake in politics?
The new trend in Tamil cinema is exhibiting old movies starring Sivaji Ganesan and MGR in digital format. Many films thus released have become super-hits in theatres. Tamil politics and Tamil cinema are closely bonded like milk and butter are. Four chief ministers, from Annadurai to Jayalalithaa, have been from the field of cinema.
Actors Rajinikant and Kamal Haasan are counting on the chemistry between politics and cinema. Both have amply indicated their willingness to try their hand in politics. As with their fans in cinema, their political announcements are greeted by separate audiences. When Kamal Haasan, known as a leftist, indicated his plan to enter politics, there was severe opposition from the BJP and the ruling faction of the AIADMK. When Rajanikant gave out a similar indication, the BJP was the first to welcome it. However, both the actors have openly declared that the system is not working well and that it needs to be changed. They have not made it clear whether they will come in and set things right like the hero in films does. It is un-cinematic to make known the climax first.
There are those who opine that the glamour in cinema will not work in Tamil politics as it used to. They point out Vijyakant’s DMDK as a case in point. Annadurai, Karunanidhi, MGR and Jayalalithaa came to power after being in politics for many years. Rajinikant and Kamal Haasan have been warned that they cannot become chief minister overnight since this is not cinema. There is no disputing the fact that Rajinikant and Kamal Haasan are capable of filling the vacuum in Tamil politics. In both cinema and politics, it takes not only the hero but also a good story and a good screenplay to produce a super-hit. In politics, story and screenplay correspond to party and partymen.
National there, provincial here
National parties like the Congress and the BJP have their limitations in making gains out of the present disarray. The Congress is plagued by the perennial factional feuds. Though BJP president Amit Shah is trying his best, issues ranging from NEET to anti-Hindi sentiment are a hard nut to crack for the BJP. Besides, the BJP has no strong leader in Tamil Nadu. The PMK is projecting Anpumani as the next chief minister, but the party has not yet grown beyond the Vanniyar community.
Karunanidhi came after Annadurai; Jayalalithaa came after MGR. Political observers are hopeful of the entry of a leader to fill the present vacuum.
