CHENNAI: The growing discord between the AIADMK and BJP has set tongues wagging over the possibility of new alliances being formed in Tamil Nadu ahead of the 2021 Assembly elections. The DMK, as a result, is a tricky position, where it has to prove its loyalty to its long-time ally — the Congress.
The rumours got a certain credence when BJP State chief L Murugan made a claim that his party was poised to win 60 of the 234 Assembly seats, just days after Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami made it clear that the AIADMK would alone lead the alliance in the State. The CM’s statement came days after murmurs rose on the possibility of the BJP leading the alliance in the State.
Simultaneously, to avoid any speculation that could hurt its prospects, the DMK has, time and again, been making it clear that it would not join hands with the saffron party. An article published in the party mouthpiece Murasoli, makes the point clear.
“DMK allied with Vajpayee-led BJP government with a common minimum programme (CMP). We cannot and will not join hands with the BJP,” reads the rough translation of the article.
Whether there is an alliance with it or not, political observers feel the BJP wants MK Stalin to move away from the Congress, as was the case with Jagan Mohan Reddy, Naveen Patnaik and Mamta Banerjee. Contrary to that opinion, Stalin has been extending every possible courtesy, to keep the relationship with Congress intact. The surprise visit to Sathyamurthy Bhavan to pay floral tributes to Kanniyakumari MP H Vasanthakumar, who passed away recently of Covid, was one such gesture.
Observers also point out that attempts by the saffron party to woo the DMK, began as early as in 2019 — ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The Congress, for its part, has also been reciprocating the love shown by its all-weather friend. In February, Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy renamed the nutritious food scheme after late Chief Minister M Karunanidhi. TNCC chief KS Alagiri was quick to announce that Stalin would be the undisputed CM candidate for 2021.
“The DMK is not a political novice,” says commentator ‘Tharasu’ Shyam. “It will adopt various tactics ahead of elections. We cannot, at this point, rule out the possibility of the DMK facing the elections without the Congress.” Also, observers say, the national parties’ tall claims about their electoral strength in TN do not hold water. In the end, they are dependant on either of the Dravidian majors. While national parties need alliance with regional peers to win the Lok Sabha, the inverse is not always true for Assembly polls.
Political analyst Raveendran Duraisamy says, the BJP’s claim of winning a large number of seats in the State is based on its social engineering tactics — consolidation of Dalits and OBC communities in 60 constituencies, most of which fall in the Kongu belt. “The strong anti-Hindu narrative promoted against DMK was not only aimed at consolidating the Hindu votes, but also at making DMK a sole representative of minorities while eliminating the Congress,” says Duraisamy.
DMK Organising Secretary, RS Bharathi rubbishes these speculations. He claims that the party has always maintained a strong relationship with Congress and there was no need to review it. “We managed a landslide victory in 2019 while allying with the Congress and the party has already accepted our Stalin as the CM candidate. The Murasoli article was made in response to the rumours spread by the vested interest to break our alliance,” says Bharathi. As Franklin D Roosevelt once said: “In politics, nothing happens by accident.”