With the Tamil Nadu elections fast approaching, the political chessboard is beginning to come alive.
Prime Minister Modi, Stalin, EPS, Vijay, Congress and even OPS got into the act in the past few days.
Seeman, the Naam Tamilar Kaatchi founder, for his part, named 117 men, 116 women and a transgender to become the first leader to announce candidates for all the 234 Assembly seats in the state.
And if all that did not spice things up, there was the trailer featuring the 71-year-old 'Ulaganayagan' (Universal Hero) Kamal Haasan and 75-year-old Superstar Rajinikanth that sent the mercury soaring while also raising certain question marks. More of that later.
First, let us dwell on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's invocation of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa during his Mann Ki Baat on Sunday.
This comes ahead of the Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu where the BJP and AIADMK have forged an alliance to take on the ruling DMK-led front. The late Jayalalithaa's 78th birthday falling on February 24 offered reason enough for the Prime Minister to go down memory lane.
"When we were both Chief Ministers of our respective states, we often discussed topics like good governance. Her thinking was crystal clear and her thoughts were uncluttered. This was a significant characteristic of her," said Modi, while remembering the leader whom our columnist TJS George called Aayirathil Oruval in his tribute.
The Prime Minister made it a point to underline that the very mention of Amma brings a glow to the faces of people in Tamil Nadu.
Beyond capturing the personal warmth the PM had for the late CM, his message also underlined how the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) that is lacking a strong, charismatic leader in Tamil Nadu has to lean on the legacy of past icons such as MG Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa to consolidate their votes.
Edappadi Palanisamy ayya, here's hoping you got the PM's message?
DMK's 'Nehru'vian headache despite OPS' endorsement
Meanwhile, the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which many experts consider to be the frontrunner at the hustings, is not without its challenges ahead of the polls.
On Friday, the Madras High Court directed the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption to initiate criminal proceedings in an alleged ₹1020-crore cash-for-jobs scam within the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department. The department, headed by minister KN Nehru, is now under scrutiny, with the court ordering the registration of an FIR in the case.
TVK leader Vijay was quick to term the HC order a humiliation for CM Stalin and sought Nehru's removal.
AIADMK leader Edappadi too trained his guns on the DMK the next day.
"One minister, Senthil Balaji, was in jail for 453 days in connection with corruption in Tasmac. Now, the minister (Nehru) is facing allegations related to hawala transactions. Based on evidence found during raids, ED wrote to the DGP seeking registration of a case against the minister, but no action was taken. Following a petition filed by AIADMK, the court has now directed that an FIR be registered," the former CM said at an election campaign meeting that was part of his 'Makkalai Kaappom, Thamizhagathai Meetpom' yatra.
The HC order came on a Friday that had seen O Panneerselvam calling on Stalin in the latter's chamber after the concluding session of the 16th Assembly.
Once he stepped out, OPS was asked about the statement by his lone supporter in the Assembly, P Ayyappan, MLA from Usilampatti, that the DMK government will continue in power with the blessings of MGR and J Jayalalithaa.
The three-time Chief Minister's reply that Ayyappan was only "echoing the people's sentiments" generated a buzz, more so after DMK deputy spokesperson A Subburathinam expressed his wish that OPS join his party's ranks soon.
This might well be OPS' last-chance saloon, but in a DMK alliance already filled to the brim with contenders for the 234 Assembly constituencies, can he be accommodated?
Congress leaders arrive for a 'unyielding' meeting in a Defender
If Modi chose Sunday morning to make his move, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal and former Chhattisgarh deputy chief minister TS Singh Deo chose Sunday night to make theirs.
The two leaders arrived in a Defender to meet Stalin. It certainly was an interesting choice for a car, but once the 45-minute meeting started it was Stalin who was playing the defender.
Sources told The New Indian Express' Prabhakar Tamilarasu that "while Venugopal requested an increase in the number of seats, DMK was stubborn in maintaining that it will be the same 25 seats that were allocated in the 2021 Assembly elections."
"Stalin has conveyed to Venugopal that they cannot increase the number as per Congress' demands since they have to accommodate new allies," they added.
A senior DMK leader said that the party intends to "contest in at least 165 constituencies" and only wants to increase the number of seats for the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi.
Rajini, Kamal are back, but why did they have to do this?
Cinema also entered the board of play during the week as the teaser featuring Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan, who were collaborating after more than 35 years, went viral in the state.
Released at 1207 hours on Saturday, because Rajinikanth was born on December 12 and Kamal Haasan on November 7 (Ergo, 1207), it has already garnered over 30 million views and almost 20,000 comments.
"Finally our Chappani and Parratai are back," commented one viewer, harking back to the iconic 16 Vayathinile that starred the duo along with Sridevi.
Another viewer noted: "Forget the Rs 1000-crore club. This is gonna be once-in-a-lifetime experience."
The film to be directed by Nelson Dilipkumar and with music by Anirudh Ravichander also raised the hackles of certain viewers and for a very valid reason.
As a viewer commented: "They could have avoided those (scantily-clad) women (in the trailer) when legends are in (it)!"
Indeed, they could have, couldn't they?
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