The Dravidian-centric southern politics is in for a rude shock. With the demise of DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi Tuesday evening, the generational shift in Tamil Nadu politics is just about complete. The demise of another towering leader J Jayalalithaa in December 2016 had dealt a heavy blow to the state’s political scene.
The credibility and high public acclaim that Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa, both chief ministers for repeated terms, enjoyed will now be a thing of the past. New leaders from both parties will take time to build a matching political aura, if that ever is possible.
The Karunanidhi family — the mantle of which had already been passed on to new generation leader MK Stalin, would continue to remain at the centre of state politics. More so as rival AIADMK has split into three power centres and is precariously holding itself to power with a seat strength that Jayalalithaa had got for the party in the last elections before her demise. Jayalalithaa had built on the celluloid popularity she had gained in the company of legendary actor and former chief minister MG Ramachandran, and reaped rich political dividends in the about three decades she reigned high. The tremors that the AIADMK experienced upon her death, the power tussle within, the split, and mutual recriminations involving her close aide Sasikala, her family members and other leaders, have left the AIADMK shaky. There is no guarantee that the AIADMK could ably shine through another election or return to power, given the present state of affairs.
With deft manoeuvring after the Jayalaithaa exit, and taking direct control of DMK, Stalin has emerged as a powerful opposition leader, though every DMK member continued to swear by the name of his father. M Karunanidhi’s image and powerful oratory had created a strong mass following. In the later stages, the 2G and other corruption allegations damaged the white fabric to a degree. Not many believe that the then communications minister Andimuthu Raja had the courage to act on his own in questionable ways without prompting from Karunanidhi or his family. Today, several members of the Karunanidhi clan, including the Marans, are in the super rich club allegedly as a result of large-scale political corruption centering round the DMK edifice.
Admittedly, Karunanidhi had already taken a backseat in politics of late. Having anointed his political successor, and Stalin having come this far, the former chief minister’s presence made little difference to the party or the political scene in Tamil Nadu. Stalin has proven his mettle too, having won the acceptance of party members.
The strengths of the two Dravidian parties in the state have kept the national parties at a safe distance all through the past several decades. The organisational strength of the Congress party in the days of leaders like Kamaraj had progressively reduced in the state, while the BJP has not been able to make a mark there. The two regional parties that alternated in power in Tamil Nadu have helped immensely in turning the state into a powerhouse for growth. Tamil Nadu took pride for quite some time as being the most urbanised state, and it also stood out as the lead state in matters of social security cover — a thrust area for the AIADMK and Jayalalithaa. Large-scale irrigation facilities put in place by successive governments have helped the agricultural sector in the state.
The 94-year-old Karunanidhi’s final departure leaves a void, but hopes are it might not make a huge difference to the state’s future or fortunes. Time alone can say whether the new generation leaders can eventually match his strength or the strength of Jayalalithaa to carry the state’s growth forward.