advertisement
The rivalry between MK Stalin and Vaiko is well-known in the Dravidian political landscape. Little wonder, then, that as a friendship now brews between the two leaders, to raise their voices against the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), eyebrows are being raised.
For the first time since 2006, Vaiko returned to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) headquarters in Chennai for an all-party meet on Tuesday, 5 February.
Though the DMK working president Stalin chose to stay mum on questions about a possible alliance with his enemy-turned-friend, the other parties – the Congress, the VCK and the Left – seemed positive that this joint opposition could solve the present political chaos in Tamil Nadu.
A lawyer by profession, Vaiko rose fast in the DMK, thanks to his charisma, oratorical power, and strong Tamil nationalism, sprinkled with references to both classical Tamil literature and world history.
He has been a popular name when it came to protests and raising the black flag.
The ethnic strife in Sri Lanka was a godsend for him. As the state was engulfed by competitive Tamil nationalism, Vaiko emerged as the star of the show, forging links with the Tamil Tigers.
But his close links with LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran didn’t go down very well with Karunanidhi, who in turn suspended him from the party.
During that time the state was haunted by the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and weakened Dravidian politics, which helped Vaiko’s party find a lot of followers.
In 2006, he chose to go with the AIADMK for the Assembly elections. And in 2016, he formed an alliance with the BJP.
In 2016 state elections, the duo exchanged barbs with Stalin frequently calling the then People’s Welfare Alliance (PWA) led by Vaiko as ‘B-Team’ of AIADMK. The PWA consisted of the CPI-M, the CPI, the VCK, Vijayakant’s DMDK, and GK Vasan’s Tamil Maanila Congress. It lost the elections miserably.
A couple of months back, Vaiko’s MDMK extended its support to DMK candidate Marudhu Ganesh in the RK Nagar by-election. He said he was joining hands to challenge the “subservient’ AIADMK government” and “communal saffron brigade”, attempting to “undermine” the principle of federalism and state autonomy.
Stalin had also welcomed his decision to support his party candidate. He had said that Vaiko had taken this decision, to redeem Tamil Nadu from the danger it was facing.
But as someone who has been cynical of Stalin, is he willing to accept his leadership?
In an interview with The Hindu, Vaiko lauded Stalin as an an experienced leader who has gone through several hardships.
Vaiko even met Karunanidhi in January, and expressed his willingness to work closely with his party.
So, after being at loggerheads for several years, will this friendship help the DMK win the next state elections?
Political analysts say though Vaiko is a wonderful orator and can sway the masses with his words, when it comes to garnering votes, his contribution seems to be almost zilch.
Known for his party-switching tactics, analysts say the past should be forgotten and only experience should be factored in.
DMK spokesperson Saravanan, too, said there is no bad blood, and they are ready to bring good governance to the state.
When political analysts were asked who was the stronger contender in the state, right now, they said Tamil Nadu was no longer dealing with just two Dravidian parties. The new entrants, Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan, also need to be considered.
A lot of drama is expected in 2018.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)
Published: undefined