The release of the Rs 100 coin by defence minister Rajnath Singh, commemorating the centenary of former Tamil Nadu chief minister M. Karunanidhi, was definitely a defining moment in the political history of the State, particularly the DMK that was launched as a regional party fighting the hegemony of national parties. Though the DMK has been, of late, harping on its “Dravidian Model” of governance, distinguishing itself from the national narrative, BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, eulogised Mr Karunanidhi, ushering in a welcome change to the prevailing political culture that thrives on setting parties at each other’s throats.
The historic occasion of BJP honchos attending the event celebrating Mr Karunanidhi, who was politically opposed to their ideology, was not only a success for the DMK that strove hard to perpetuate the memory of its leader by making the Union government mint the high value currency coin with his image embossed on it but also brought pride to the State known for its secular values. While it gave the DMK a platform to showcase Karunanidhi as a political icon of national prominence and also an opportunity to erase misconceptions of him being just a state-level leader, the party, on the flip side, suffered a dent on its political integrity mainly because hawk-eyed political opponents swooped down without wasting time to spot a secret deal with the BJP.
In a state where an anti-Hindutva position is presumed to help parties win popular votes, the latest bonhomie of the DMK and the BJP, despite the need to encourage the display of such appreciable political niceties, could be used to discredit the present government by accusing it of having a clandestine pact with the BJP or of becoming its stooge. The AIADMK that deliberately severed ties with the BJP after a long association has already charged the DMK with hypocrisy.
To start with, it has caught the DMK with a cleft stick by referring to chief minister M.K. Stalin’s presence at the Independence Day in-house tea party at the Raj Bhavan after his party proclaimed a boycott.
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