NEW DELHI/MADRAS, 18 April — Party insiders have still not got over DMK veteran Murasoli Maran’s decision to “keep away from active politics on health grounds.”
The DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi is playing it down by saying that there is no problem. Today, he announced that this would be his last electoral fight. He does not want the “Maran episode” to prove expensive for DMK in Tamil Nadu. For his part, Maran was displeased with DMK’s giving undue importance to new, caste-based parties at the cost of its ties with former National Democratic Alliance (NDA) allies, the PMK, MDMK and TRC.
Maran was also unhappy with the role given to M.K. Stalin, Karunanidhi’s son, in formulating the electoral strategy. The 70 new DMK candidates are said to be Stalin’s nominees. Maran’s move to quit politics will prove detrimental for DMK from another angle. This party is largely dependent on propaganda provided by a private channel owned by Maran’s family. Now, with Maran sidelined by Stalin, the channel will not be available for DMK.
Maran has apparently “quit” active politics to send this message to the DMK leadership. Karunanidhi’s political future is at stake because of another development. The party’s prospects in Tamil Nadu may prove to be a turning point for the NDA at the center.
The chief ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party coalition, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief Chandrababu Naidu, has said that he will review his party’s relations with the NDA, if its ally DMK loses the elections.
Of late, Naidu has been displeased with certain political BJP moves. One is the party’s efforts to create a split in TDP and attract defectors.
The BJP is insistent upon spreading its influence in Andhra Pradesh. Fearing BJP’s plans, some prominent TDP leaders have been pressuring Naidu to break-off ties with NDA. They fear an erosion of their own base and a loss of minorities’ support.
The second is the stigma caused to Atal Behari Vajpayee’s government by the Tehelka scandal. This has kept Naidu from attending NDA rallies organized to defend the government and the Tehelka accused. If DMK loses to the AIDMK-led alliance in Tamil Nadu, going by Naidu’s plans, it will be severe shock for the BJP-led alliance. Naidu has voiced his opinion to senior leaders in the capital.
With scale of fortunes turning against DMK in Tamil Nadu, Naidu has stepped up his interaction with People’s Front and one of its key leaders, former Prime Minister V.P. Singh. DMK’s defeat in Tamil Nadu could spell loss of power at the center for the NDA.
