From VP election to ED raids: Decoding why Maharashtra Governor Radhakrishnan met Tamil Nadu CM Stalin

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin was hospitalised a few weeks ago. Since then, he has had a barrage of high-profile visitors from several political parties. Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) leader and late Vijayakanth’s wife, Premalatha, and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) rebel leader O. Panneerselvam came to call on Stalin to inquire about his health.

While Premalatha's and Panneerselvam's meeting with Stalin made headlines, the visit of another high-profile individual on the same day made only one-column news in daily newspapers.

Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party’s senior leader and Maharashtra Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan called on Stalin at his Chittaranjan Road residence in Chennai on August 11. While the official statement was “he called on to inquire about the chief minister’s health,” Dravida Munnetra Kazhgam (DMK) and BJP insiders say that there was a political undercurrent to the meeting.

Two days before Radhakrishnan called on Stalin, DMK’s parliamentary party leader and Thoothukudi MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his office in New Delhi. In a post on X, Kanimozhi said she raised important issues related to her constituency and Tamil Nadu, including the transhipment hub at the V.O.C. Port. She also thanked Modi for the Centre’s support in upgrading the Thoothukudi airport. While Kanimozhi’s was an official meeting, sources had it that the BJP was looking for the DMK’s support in the vice-presidential election.

It may be recalled that Kanimozhi was part of the all-party delegation that travelled to key partner countries, including members of the United Nations Security Council and the European Union, to convey India’s message of zero tolerance against terrorism following the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor.

But the buzz in the corridors of power is that CPR brought a message from the BJP's high command, asking the DMK to tone down its opposition against the BJP and the support extended to the Congress. And the PM giving audience to Kanimozhi, too, was to indicate the same.

When Rahul Gandhi staged a protest outside Parliament and proceeded to the ECI office in Delhi, all the DMK MPs were part of it. DMK’s support for the vote-chori campaign in Delhi had strengthened the Congress’s voice across the country. The BJP, through Radhakrishnan, reportedly asked the DMK to keep a low profile in terms of extending support to the Congress in the vote-chori issue.

In fact, the DMK’s legal fight in the Supreme Court against ECI’s methodology in voter list revision has put the BJP in a tough position. Party insiders say that DMK’s continuous legal victories, be they in the Governor vs state government issue or the pending petitions in the apex court with regard to the release of education funds, have turned out to be a thorn in the flesh for the BJP.

However, the buzz in the BJP circles in Tamil Nadu is completely different. In fact, this is not the first time Radhakrishnan called on Stalin. Earlier, when Murasoli Selvam, former editor of the DMK’s mouthpiece Murasoli and Stalin’s brother-in-law, passed away in Chennai, the Maharashtra governor was one of the visitors to express condolences. Radhakrishnan paid tributes to Selvam at the Gopalapuram residence. He had always shared a warm rapport with Stalin and the DMK.

Sources in the Tamil Nadu BJP say that Radhakrishnan’s visit was to seek the DMK’s support in Parliament. Apparently,  Radhakrishnan is one of the likely names for the vice presidential race. But, having said that, Delhi may not prefer him as he is not fluent in Hindi, and may not be able to handle the floor in the Rajya Sabha.

Another story circulating about the meeting was that the action and investigation by the central agencies would be toned down over the weeks. It was also said that the intensity of earlier Enforcement Directorate searches in Tamil Nadu would decrease and there would be no more high-profile raids. But this was proved wrong on Saturday when the ED knocked on the doors of Rural Development Minister I. Periyasamy.

The raids on Periyasamy, who is DMK’s face in Dindigul, Theni, and Palani regions, are seen as part of a wider pattern of central agency interventions in Tamil Nadu. “The Centre is trying to stifle the voice of the opposition by conducting searches using the central agencies in opposition-ruled states,” Kanimozhi told the media in Chennai.