Two super-stars from the film world also entering the political arena, Rajnikant and Kamal Hassan. may be further muddying the scene, though their aspiration may be in keeping with the state's record of five decades of Dravidian governments headed by scriptwriters/actors (C N Annadurai, first DMK Chief Minister in 1967 followed by Mr M Karunanidhi, then MGR leading the break-away AIADMK, and on his death the mantle passed on to Ms. Jayalalithaa, also from the silver screen).
Mr Rajnikant announced on Dec 31. 2017 he was entering politics which would be "spiritual" and he would contest all the 234 seats in Tamil Nadu Assembly elections due in 2021.He has not said anything more. Mr Kamal Hassan has formed his own party, Makkal Neeti Maiyam, (MNM), a party of the people seeking justice, as he put it. Both are committed to ridding Tamil Nadu of corruption which, according to them, characterised the Dravidian Governments.
BJP, trying to find political space. has welcomed Mr Rajnikant's entry, and noted his "spiritual" approach and looks for resemblances, as his plans evolve.. Mr Rajnikant is also a friend of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. BJP would ideally look for Mr Rajnikant's leadership role for the party to entrench itself in Tamil Nadu.
With elections three years away, both the super-stars are not spelling out more details of their plans or programmes. In what is becoming a fragmented arena, other well-established state parties remain in the shadows. They are now hardly visible after a third front forged by them in 2016 found not many takers.
Over the last few months, the Palaniswamy-Panneerselvam Government had each sought to build bridges with the Prime Minister ostensibly to get state's grievances redressed including assistance for distressed farmers, apparently not with much effect other than Mr Modi’s friendship. Surely, their value would be of help to the Modi Government in finding new allies for NDA in the context of the exit by A P Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu's TDP amid signs of weakening of ruling BJP in the run-up to the Lok Sabha poll in a year's time.
There is also a drift in the ruling AIADMK engineered by Mr T T V Dhinakaran, the Sasikala choice for the party's General Secretary, who demolished both the ruling party and DMK nominees with his huge win in the by-election at the turn of the year in a city constituency, R K Nagar. The Palaniswamy Government had eighteen MLAs expelled by the Speaker for their allegiance to Mr Dhinakaran. These MLAs had petitioned the High Court questioning the Speaker's right to expel members and the Court orders are keenly awaited.
For the major opposition, DMK, the one-day bandh called over the Cauvery issue on April 5 evoked massive response - the first major win for Mr Stalin who has been trying to move a no-confidence motion against the present AIADMK government. Over a lakh of people spread over several districts of Tamil Nadu courted arrest and the Government had directed the police to handle agitators peacefully. All the arrested persons led by Mr Stain and other DMK alliance partners including the T N Congress President Mr. S. Thirunavukkarasar and others were set free at the end of the day.
Mr Stalin is relieved to find the continuing mass following for his party. But the AIADMK for its part has not been wanting in resistance. Some thirty-seven MPs demanded immediate setting up of Cauvery Management Board holding placards during the resumed budget session of Parliament from March 5 and disrupted till the last day, April 6.
For months. the distressed farmers in the water-starved Cauvery delta kept up their agitation over Karnataka Government failing to meet its obligations on release of the river water, whether under the Tribunal's award some years back or the modified allocations by the Supreme Court from time to time.
Finally, in January adjudicating the protracted dispute between two Governments modified the earlier Tribunal order, somewhat benefitting Karnataka, recognising the drinking water needs of the state, especially in Bengaluru region. The Court then directed the Centre to constitute within six weeks the Cauvery Water Management Board.
The Modi Government having failed to follow up within the deadline has now sought a three month deferment in view of the election in Karnataka already notified. Tamil Nadu has protested and sought the apex court's intervention. The Supreme Court is slated to take up the Tamil Nadu's appeal on April 9,
For the DMK it opened up a path of agitation which could yield dividends for the party, after being humbled twice in 2011 and 2016 Assembly elections in 2016, though it could muster 89 seats with allies including the Congress eight seats. But the 2016 election again demonstrated Amma's popularity to secure for her a second consecutive term in office she could not enjoy.
In the sixteen months since the demise of Ms. Jayalalithaa, rivalries for leadership brought matters to a head, especially after Mr Edapadi Palanisamy, nominated by Ms. Sasikala, the confidante of the late Chief Minister, formed the Ministry. For months, Mr O Panneerselvam, who hoisted a revolt, had relatively meagre support.
Finally, the two leaders came together on the basis of both disowning leadership of Ms Sasikala, who had by then been sentenced in the Disproportionate Assets case, and sent to jail in Bengaluru. They also later secured the recognition of AIADMK with the party symbol restored. That was not the end of troubles for the Edapadi-Panneerselvam combine running the Government. More challenges are on way. (IPA Service)
INDIA
POWER STRUGGLE PEAKS UP IN TAMIL NADU WITH ITS FRAGILE GOVERNANCE
RULING AIDMK CHALLENGED BY RIVAL FACTION AND RESURGENT DMK
S. Sethuraman - 2018-04-06 11:35
Tamil Nadu has been in a state of political ferment since the demise of its most formidable AIADMK Chief Minister, Ms. J. Jayalalithaa in December 2016. First two rival factions, each claiming Amma's legacy, patched up for power and are tenuously holding office without an established majority. It is now under growing challenge from both a seemingly strong section of AIADMK dissidents as well as the major Dravidian rival DMK, lately gaining state-wide resurgence, under the party's vigorous leadership of Mr M K Stalin.