New leaders & hope

New leaders & hope

Tamil Nadu political stage is transformed with the rise of Sasikala and Stalin.

Suddenly the political stage in Tamil Nadu has changed. With AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa's death on December 5, 2016, and the creation of the post of DMK working president on January 4, 2017, VK Sasikala and MK Stalin have become the prime players in the Dravidian heartland. And this can be an opportunity for the state to change its political culture too. For close to three decades, two giants ¬ M Karunanidhi and J Jaya-lalithaa ¬ dominated the state's political landscape. So bitter were they towards each other that they never saw eye to eye after the March 25, 1989 fracas in the assembly where Jayalalithaa accused DMK legislatorsof manhandling her. She left the House with dishevelled hair, promising to return only as the chief minister. She kept her promise ¬ and unleash-ed vengeance. What followed was politics of vendetta.

In the late 1990s, the ruling DMK filed corruption cases by the dozen against Jayalalithaa; after returning to power she ordered the infamous midnight arrest of Karunanidhi on June 30, 2001.

They alternated between the treasury benches and the opposition, but they were seldom seen in the assembly at the same time. Through statements they poured scorn at each other. Within a month, Jayalalithaa's death and Karunanidhi's failing health have put Sasikala and Stalin at the helm. Stalin has been showing signs of a mature politician eager to deviate from his father's style. He attended the swearing-in ceremony of Jayalalithaa in May and promised his party would remain a constructive opposition. When Jayalalithaa was ailing, Stalin visited the hospital; after her death, he paid respects to her mortal remains. Sasikala's ascension was quick, Stalin's was long pending. With Karunanidhi refusing to relinquish the post of the party president, DMK had to create the post of working president to install the new commander. The changes also signify ¬ if one discounts Stalin's unremarkable tryst with a few movies ¬ the end of film personalities as party heads. As Sasikala emerges from Jayalalithaa's shadow ¬ where she remained for more than three decades ¬ it would be better if she doesn't inherit her vituperative politics. A collaborative spirit between the ruling party and the opposition would improve the steering of Tamil Nadu. For a state that has slowed down in the past 10 years after 15 years of industrialisation and infrastructure development, a course correction is imperative.