Tamil Nadu next?

With Eknath Shinde of the Shiv Sena pulling up a surprise by leaving Uddhav Thackeray in the lurch amid a hopeless Sharad Pawar and a clueless Congress, the political atmosphere has heated up across the country.

While it is the ruling regional parties that are facing the brunt, down south, in Tamil Nadu, the opposition AIADMK (ADMK in TN, given the hate for the ‘I’ in it) is likely to see a fracture that could change the political structure of the southern state.

Known for its exceedingly high insecurity in opening up to the rest of India, Tamil Nadu has been kept in isolation by the well-off — mainly the politicians — for decades, since the downfall of the Congress Party, led prominently by K Kamaraj, after the Emergency, and emergence of the separatist Dravidian parties in the 1970s – much like in Kashmir.

Politicians and the upper business class have for long used “Tamil Pride” (reminds of Marathi manus, and that sambar originated in Maharashtra), food habits (beef is common in Chennai among Hindus), culture, caste politics, etc, to fortify a closed ecosystem that benefits the politicians the most as also the local business class.

The two-party system and the misleading of public about the rest of India (who by and large are unaware of the muck in TN and consider it a calm, cultural and developed state) have led to sky-high corruption, doles, and slow death of the famed Tamil competitive spirit, spirituality and hospitality. Instead, it has fuelled blind hate for non-Tamilians. Many in Chennai fail to acknowledge that over years, Bengaluru and Hyderabad have raced ahead in all spheres, citing quotes by politicians and media. Lack of knowledge of Hindi or about national affairs keep them caged by the local media which are controlled by the political parties.

All this could change. First, the emergence of the BJP with leaders like former IPS K Annamalai (the Singham, with growing staunch followers on ground) have lent people a voice against the Dravidian monologues by the two parties that have ruled the roost for decades.

Second, two most prominent leaders of the AIADMK — Edappadi Palaniswamy (EPS) and O Panneerselvam (OPS) — are falling out. According to reports, the AIADMK is on the verge of a split with followers of both EPS and OPS fighting in the open.

OPS is an assumed loyalist of the former CM J Jayalalithaa, who failed to keep his promise of finding and punishing the alleged murderer of Jayalalitha despite being in power. He held several important portfolios when Jayalalithaa was the CM and projects himself as the true heir.

Meanwhile, EPS has a stronghold over AIADMK after emerging as the dark horse post Jayalalithaa’s death. It is still surprising how EPS became the CM given his low profile and poor communication skills, and the way he has remained the leader of the opposition till date. However, party workers seem to believe it is under EPS they could emerge as a strong party.

The latest face-off seems to stem from a disagreement over Rajya Sabha nominations and subsequent clamour for single leadership in the AIADMK.

All this could lead to the much-required change in Tamil Nadu politics. And that’s the third point. With at least three parties in the fray (in case OPS breaks away and forms a party), it would open the doors to Congress and BJP too. This could push out the stinking waters in Tamil Nadu — in politics and other areas, and help the state join the mainstream in the true sense.

Whether this happens is to be watched closely.

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MDDTimes Staff Writer

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