CHENNAI: While the resignations of ministers V Senthil Balaji and K Ponmudy were driven by legal compulsions, the ruling DMK, however, seems to have utilised the opportunity to its advantage by targeting a slew of things, including the balancing of support bases, averting criticisms and strategically countering the purported consolidation of votes due to the new AIADMK-BJP alliance.
Balaji had no choice but to resign due to the Supreme Court’s ultimatum, but it is also vital for the DMK that he remains in the political arena even though he is not in the Cabinet.
The BJP has long been eyeing the Kongu region, which is where the AIADMK is also at its strongest at the moment. Their alliance won all 10 constituencies in Coimbatore district in 2021, but things changed after the DMK deployed Balaji as minister in-charge of the district.
It is noteworthy that Balaji and BJP’s former state president K Annamalai hail from the same Gounder caste from another Kongu district of Karur. Their rivalry is not news for observers of the state’s politics. During 2021 election campaign, Annamalai, who unsuccessfully contested from Aravakurichi, made unsavoury remarks about Balaji.
Balaji later took on Annamalai by questioning the provenance of the latter’s expensive watch and challenged him to submit its purchase bill. Annamalai contested from Coimbatore in the 2024 parliamentary election when Balaji was in prison. Balaji’s absence in the field could not be leveraged by Annamalai, who lost to DMK candidate by 1.18 lakh votes. The BJP sees Balaji as an impediment to its ambitions in Coimbatore.
Balaji’s last public event before resigning on April 27 was the self-respect movement’s centenary celebration in Coimbatore, in which Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin also spoke.
At the event, Dravida Iyyakka Thamizhar Peravai leader Suba Veerapandian lauded Balaji with a veiled sarcasm targeting the BJP. He said “some people” think Balaji should focus only on fieldwork for the DMK. Advocate A Arulmozhi termed Balaji the “wall” preventing Kongu region from becoming a saffron stronghold. His electricity portfolio has now gone to S S Sivasankar, who belongs to Vanniyar community, another section that the BJP is trying to influence through its ally PMK.
Balaji’s prohibition and excise portfolio has been given additionally to Housing Minister S Muthusamy, another veteran from Kongu region who was behind the DMK’s victories in two successive bypolls to Erode East.
DMK veteran K Ponmudy lost not only his party post but also ministership following his recent controversial remarks. His forest portfolio has been allotted to R S Raja Kannappan belonging to Yadav (or Konar) community, which is not adequately represented in the AIADMK and neither does the BJP have a prominent face from the community. The DMK is banking on Kannappan to consolidate the community’s votes.
With the reinstatement of Mano Thangaraj, Kanniyakumari district has got back its representation in the Cabinet. Sources said the reinstatement of Thangaraj, a Christian, assumes importance in the backdrop of the AIADMK-BJP alliance. Thangaraj and senior DMK functionary from the district Suresh Rajan have buried the hatchet to work together, they said.