All parties are waste,” a pensive-looking taxi-man said. He seemed worried. “All party same.” His anxiety stems from the vacuum left behind by former chief ministers J Jayalalithaa and M Karunanidhi’s demise. His argument is not just based on the current political situation. Nor has it anything to do with the AIADMK or the DMK.
He is a common man who has lost faith in the political system. Rising fuel prices and the cost of commodities taking a sharp north curve have affected his daily life. “Very soon I will be left repaying debts,” he said — a common story of every middle and lower-middle class person living on EMIs and loans.
Add this to his list of worries — the dark dreary spectre of the Northeast monsoon looming in the horizon. No one knows what will hit — a cyclone, a flood or both. If it destroys lives this time, it would have the potential to unsettle the government. In the fragile political landscape, the vulnerability has increased, unlike in 2015. No wonder, the state is expediting flood mitigation programmes this time. Especially after the Kerala floods, the government is taking no chances. There is no room for error this monsoon.
With 12 per cent more rainfall this year, disaster management officials have been working overtime to contain the fallout so that it does not snowball into a sticky political issue ahead of the elections next year. Ostensibly so, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami released the State Disaster Management Perspective Plan 2018-2030 in August with 14 specific goals. After the Kerala floods, the Tamil Nadu government has identified 14 coastal and hilly districts as vulnerable to the Northeast monsoon that is expected to set in, within a day or two.
The state has identified 321 very highly vulnerable areas in these districts where water stagnation is expected to be above five feet. Kancheepuram, the Nilgiris, Chennai, Cuddalore, Tiruvallur, Kanyakumari and Nagapattinam are the districts most susceptible to floods.
In times of crisis, the chief minister has been proactive and has managed to find ways to tackle volatile situations (anti-Sterlite and green corridor issues to name a few). His administrative acumen will be tested once the monsoon sets in. In the end, it would all depend on how he weathers the storm, literally.
Haasan’s Congress bait
I am a great fan of Kamal Haasan, the actor. I have watched his iconic movie Pesum Padam (Pushpak) numerous times. It is etched in memory. The narrative is simple, comic black, politically incorrect and it’s easy to follow even if there are no words spoken. The neatly-packaged human waste was the scene stealer — and someone falling for the package not knowing what’s inside was a gem. Haasan communicated vividly through his silence.
Years later, while taking the plunge into politics, Haasan has been breaking his silence, sometimes at the right time. At times, he lets his silence speak. His latest silence-breaker, however, smacked of mischief, too.
Though his words were laced with pre-conditions and ambiguity, the message to the Congress was straight — break alliance with the DMK and I can join you ahead of the general elections. What seems perplexing is his choice of the party. He is not going for any of the Dravidian parties. A strong espouser of the Dravidian identity, Haasan is trying to fish for the Congress, a party that hardly has any following, forget strong vote percentage. As expected, it sparked a debate. Is he trying to break the DMK-Congress alliance? Possibly so. Haasan did meet Congress president Rahul Gandhi in June.
However, for the Congress to break away from a strong DMK would perhaps not be wise. No matter how the DMK treats them (while sharing seats), the Dravidian party is its best option if the Congress wants some kind of mileage. From the DMK’s perspective, snapping ties with the Congress could affect its chances, especially in places where the contest is expected to be tight.
For a party that is yet to contest elections, announcing pre-conditions may appear surprising. After all, Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam is a new party that is yet to face elections and its vote share is unknown. So, is the Congress using Haasan to put pressure on the DMK to give it a decent share of seats? Only time will tell.
Indraneel Das
Resident Editor, Tamil Nadu
Email: indraneel.das@newindianexpress.com