As you become old you become wise, they say. But for this 90-year old astute politician who had scripted the most successful political moves, in the state, his acumen this time, has earned him brickbats rather than bouquets. Known for his sharp tongue and swift repartees Karunanidhi’s organizational skills in the past had taken his party in a triumphant path even when was unseated from power for over 13 years by his bête noire the late MG Ramachandran.
But now the nonagenarian’s shrewdness had only turned more emotional to save his kin. On June 3, even when his cadres, had put up high-rise banners and posters across the city to celebrate his 90th birthday, he was a much worried man- more apprehended on how to maneuver support for his loving daughter. And 100 days after leaving the Congress-led alliance, his party has gone back to the Congress to get votes of five MLAs in the Rajya Sabha elections. “Karunanidhi quit the UPA in March claiming that the Congress was soft towards the Sri Lankan government’s pogrom against Lankan Tamils. But he has been maintaining silence over the Union government’s decision to impart training to Sri Lankan military officials in India’s defence establishments,” said Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.
Neither the DMK nor the Congress can face the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in the state without each other. The Congress support to Kanimozhi underscores the point that it can only ride piggyback on the DMK in the Lok Sabha polls. In an article in (June 23, 2013), Karunanidhi had written: “The DMK will decide on when and with whom it should forge an alliance during the run-up to the general elections. The DMK's executive committee and the general council will discuss and decide on it, based on the national political situation at the time of the elections.”
Though there was no DMK council meeting, senior leader T.R. Baalu was seen knocking at the doors of Congress leaders in Delhi to strike a deal for the Rajya Sabha elections. But a DMK leader said, “Congress supporting us now doesn’t mean we will go together in the Lok Sabha polls. There is still time for it. The Lok Sabha elections did not figure in our discussion at all.”
While the Congress support has buoyed the DMK camp, it shows that the state’s most progressive Dravidian major is a political orphan in the state. With just 23 MLAs, the 2G scam burden, increasing family feuds and factions within the party, Karunanidhi still needs time to restore the party's glory. Though Kanimozhi personally thanked the five Congress MLAs, the bitterness between the two parties is still fresh. The Congress’s tactics—in getting the DMK cornered in the 2G scam—have let the DMK cadres down.
The Karunanidhi-Congress pact for Kanimozhi's re-election must have pleased his family but not his brethren, who celebrated the DMK’s exit from the UPA. For them, this move will push them back to slavery.
But now the nonagenarian’s shrewdness had only turned more emotional to save his kin. On June 3, even when his cadres, had put up high-rise banners and posters across the city to celebrate his 90th birthday, he was a much worried man- more apprehended on how to maneuver support for his loving daughter. And 100 days after leaving the Congress-led alliance, his party has gone back to the Congress to get votes of five MLAs in the Rajya Sabha elections. “Karunanidhi quit the UPA in March claiming that the Congress was soft towards the Sri Lankan government’s pogrom against Lankan Tamils. But he has been maintaining silence over the Union government’s decision to impart training to Sri Lankan military officials in India’s defence establishments,” said Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.
Neither the DMK nor the Congress can face the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in the state without each other. The Congress support to Kanimozhi underscores the point that it can only ride piggyback on the DMK in the Lok Sabha polls. In an article in (June 23, 2013), Karunanidhi had written: “The DMK will decide on when and with whom it should forge an alliance during the run-up to the general elections. The DMK's executive committee and the general council will discuss and decide on it, based on the national political situation at the time of the elections.”
Though there was no DMK council meeting, senior leader T.R. Baalu was seen knocking at the doors of Congress leaders in Delhi to strike a deal for the Rajya Sabha elections. But a DMK leader said, “Congress supporting us now doesn’t mean we will go together in the Lok Sabha polls. There is still time for it. The Lok Sabha elections did not figure in our discussion at all.”
While the Congress support has buoyed the DMK camp, it shows that the state’s most progressive Dravidian major is a political orphan in the state. With just 23 MLAs, the 2G scam burden, increasing family feuds and factions within the party, Karunanidhi still needs time to restore the party's glory. Though Kanimozhi personally thanked the five Congress MLAs, the bitterness between the two parties is still fresh. The Congress’s tactics—in getting the DMK cornered in the 2G scam—have let the DMK cadres down.
The Karunanidhi-Congress pact for Kanimozhi's re-election must have pleased his family but not his brethren, who celebrated the DMK’s exit from the UPA. For them, this move will push them back to slavery.
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