but by snubbing the PM during the latter's Chennai visit the DMK supremo revealed that he isn't averse to rocking the UPA's boat
As the new year dawned upon Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), it had many things to ponder. In normal circumstances, January 3 should have been a day of showing off its camaraderie with the Congress. As the 58-acre Eco Park in the Adyar estuary of Chennai had failed to get clearance from the Union environment ministry, the inaugural function scheduled to be attended by the Prime Minister was cancelled by the Tamil Nadu government. A far cry from the days when DMK got the nod for its Kalaingar TV channel in 24 hours.
When Dr Manmohan Singh arrived in Chennai on January 2 for the Indian Science Congress, the Tamil Nadu chief minister made no effort to conceal his displeasure with the Centre. Breaking the customary protocol, he sent his son and deputy chief minister MK Stalin to receive the PM at the airport. Later that night, he also skipped the scheduled meet with the PM and went to a book launch function instead.
Karunanidhi went on to amuse the crowd by narrating a story of an ancient Tamil king who comforted a sleeping poet by waving a large hand-held vensamaram (fan). “This is the land where kings gave high respect to poets. That's why I came here instead of going to see the PM,” he told the gathering in a luxury hotel located near the airport.
After the function, Karunanidhi drove to the new secretariat building, keeping everybody guessing. Knowing his father had given the PM a miss, Stalin and K Anbazhagan, TN finance minister, rushed to meet Karunanidhi. It is their pressure and some senior Congress leaders' intervention that finally led to the Karunanidhi meeting the PM at 8.30 the next morning.
Informed DMK sources told TSI that the already strained ties with the Congress in the aftermath of the spectrum scam was further stretched due to the delay in approval to the Eco Park. A senior DMK leader listed out a few of the party's concerns vis-a-vis the Congress. One, in the spectrum issue, it was promised that everything would be normal once Raja tendered his resignation. But the Congress went back on its word.
Moreover, Congress leaders like EVKS Elangovan are openly critical of the DMK government. Appeals to the Congress central leadership to rein in the former Union minister have fallen on deaf ears. It is whispered that a DMK-Congress alliance in the coming assembly polls would be disastrous.
What has made matters worse is that Rahul Gandhi, on his numerous visits to TN, has given the impression that he supports the anti-DMK sentiments within the local Congress unit.
It is now widely accepted that the DMK's image has been severely dented by the spectrum scandal. The selectively leaked Niira Radia tapes have only added fuel to the disaffection. A large chunk of the media controlled by the DMK clan was quiet when the scandal erupted. But other media houses and the opposition took advantage of the issue and unleashed a blitzkrieg of sorts. Thanks to Raja, Jaya TV (of AIADMK), which was at the bottom of the TRP charts, grew in popularity as it led the attack on Raja and his party. The CBI raids made matters worse.
Kanimozhi, Rajya Sabha MP, escaped being raided by CBI. But the fact that the investigating agency came to the premises of Tamil Maiyam, an NGO close to her, showed that she had escaped only by a whisker.
Having lost the moral high ground, the DMK boss decided to throw his weight behind Raja. It is reported that Stalin and MK Alagiri, Karunanidhi's other son, favoured expelling Raja from the party but the DMK chief decided against it. Alagiri resigned from his party post and the Union Cabinet in protest.
The party, on its part, has launched a statewide campaign (aptly dubbed by the media as the 'Save Raja Campaign') supporting the former telecom minister. The campaigners took pains to explain that a CAG report is only speculation on the loss and it is not incontrovertible proof of a scandal.
A possible DMK-Congress split will affect the equations at the Centre. DMK's strength of 18 members may well be compensated by AIADMK, JD(S), and SP. But the price that the Congress has to pay for it will be heavy. The Congress top brass is yet to take a final decision, sources say. Can they put the survival of the government at the Centre at stake for a few seats more in a state Assembly poll? A tough call that.
In an election year (the TN assembly polls are scheduled for May this year), a scandal as huge as the one involving spectrum allocation is enough to sink any party. Ironically, thanks to the scheme of distribution of free colour televisions, many in Tamil Nadu actually know about the scope and nature of the spectrum scam. Yet DMK leaders are confident of electoral success as they have done enough in terms of doling out freebies to the poor, right from rice at one rupee a kilo to the recent free housing scheme.
A DMK leader told TSI that in the coming elections his party would draw strength from the support of the beneficiaries of successful government schemes rather than from an alliance with the Congress.
When Dr Manmohan Singh was about to leave Chennai, he assured the waiting media that Congress ties with DMK remain strong. Are we supposed to then read between the lines and beyond the spoken word? That's what politics is we guess...
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As the new year dawned upon Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), it had many things to ponder. In normal circumstances, January 3 should have been a day of showing off its camaraderie with the Congress. As the 58-acre Eco Park in the Adyar estuary of Chennai had failed to get clearance from the Union environment ministry, the inaugural function scheduled to be attended by the Prime Minister was cancelled by the Tamil Nadu government. A far cry from the days when DMK got the nod for its Kalaingar TV channel in 24 hours.
When Dr Manmohan Singh arrived in Chennai on January 2 for the Indian Science Congress, the Tamil Nadu chief minister made no effort to conceal his displeasure with the Centre. Breaking the customary protocol, he sent his son and deputy chief minister MK Stalin to receive the PM at the airport. Later that night, he also skipped the scheduled meet with the PM and went to a book launch function instead.
Karunanidhi went on to amuse the crowd by narrating a story of an ancient Tamil king who comforted a sleeping poet by waving a large hand-held vensamaram (fan). “This is the land where kings gave high respect to poets. That's why I came here instead of going to see the PM,” he told the gathering in a luxury hotel located near the airport.
After the function, Karunanidhi drove to the new secretariat building, keeping everybody guessing. Knowing his father had given the PM a miss, Stalin and K Anbazhagan, TN finance minister, rushed to meet Karunanidhi. It is their pressure and some senior Congress leaders' intervention that finally led to the Karunanidhi meeting the PM at 8.30 the next morning.
Informed DMK sources told TSI that the already strained ties with the Congress in the aftermath of the spectrum scam was further stretched due to the delay in approval to the Eco Park. A senior DMK leader listed out a few of the party's concerns vis-a-vis the Congress. One, in the spectrum issue, it was promised that everything would be normal once Raja tendered his resignation. But the Congress went back on its word.
Moreover, Congress leaders like EVKS Elangovan are openly critical of the DMK government. Appeals to the Congress central leadership to rein in the former Union minister have fallen on deaf ears. It is whispered that a DMK-Congress alliance in the coming assembly polls would be disastrous.
What has made matters worse is that Rahul Gandhi, on his numerous visits to TN, has given the impression that he supports the anti-DMK sentiments within the local Congress unit.
It is now widely accepted that the DMK's image has been severely dented by the spectrum scandal. The selectively leaked Niira Radia tapes have only added fuel to the disaffection. A large chunk of the media controlled by the DMK clan was quiet when the scandal erupted. But other media houses and the opposition took advantage of the issue and unleashed a blitzkrieg of sorts. Thanks to Raja, Jaya TV (of AIADMK), which was at the bottom of the TRP charts, grew in popularity as it led the attack on Raja and his party. The CBI raids made matters worse.
Kanimozhi, Rajya Sabha MP, escaped being raided by CBI. But the fact that the investigating agency came to the premises of Tamil Maiyam, an NGO close to her, showed that she had escaped only by a whisker.
Having lost the moral high ground, the DMK boss decided to throw his weight behind Raja. It is reported that Stalin and MK Alagiri, Karunanidhi's other son, favoured expelling Raja from the party but the DMK chief decided against it. Alagiri resigned from his party post and the Union Cabinet in protest.
The party, on its part, has launched a statewide campaign (aptly dubbed by the media as the 'Save Raja Campaign') supporting the former telecom minister. The campaigners took pains to explain that a CAG report is only speculation on the loss and it is not incontrovertible proof of a scandal.
A possible DMK-Congress split will affect the equations at the Centre. DMK's strength of 18 members may well be compensated by AIADMK, JD(S), and SP. But the price that the Congress has to pay for it will be heavy. The Congress top brass is yet to take a final decision, sources say. Can they put the survival of the government at the Centre at stake for a few seats more in a state Assembly poll? A tough call that.
In an election year (the TN assembly polls are scheduled for May this year), a scandal as huge as the one involving spectrum allocation is enough to sink any party. Ironically, thanks to the scheme of distribution of free colour televisions, many in Tamil Nadu actually know about the scope and nature of the spectrum scam. Yet DMK leaders are confident of electoral success as they have done enough in terms of doling out freebies to the poor, right from rice at one rupee a kilo to the recent free housing scheme.
A DMK leader told TSI that in the coming elections his party would draw strength from the support of the beneficiaries of successful government schemes rather than from an alliance with the Congress.
When Dr Manmohan Singh was about to leave Chennai, he assured the waiting media that Congress ties with DMK remain strong. Are we supposed to then read between the lines and beyond the spoken word? That's what politics is we guess...
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM ranks No 1 in International Exposure in the 'Third Mail Today B-School Survey'
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri Dean Business School IIPM
IIPM Excom Prof Rajita Chaudhuri
Kapil Sibal’s voters want Jan Lokpal, not Government-proposed Lokpal Bill
IIPM: What is E-PAT?
"Thorns to Competition" amongst the top 10 best sellers of the week.
IIPM RANKED NO.1 in MAIL TODAY B-SCHOOL RANKINGS
'Thorns to Competition' - You can order your copy online from here
IIPM Mumbai Campus
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