Anti-saffron warrior image spine of DMK’s poll strategy

CHENNAI: In offering to consult his other State counterparts on the issue of the Union government forwarding a Presidential reference to the Supreme Court in the Governor case, Chief Minister MK Stalin has once again made a calculated move against the ruling BJP on the issue of State rights/autonomy.

Stalin’s plan of action, if executed with precision, is sure to stir a nationwide Constitutional debate, just like it did when the apex court delivered the historic verdict setting timeframe for the President and Governor’s to act on Bills passed by the State legislatures.

It should come as no surprise to those familiar with the DMK president’s handling of the one nation, one election and delimitation issues, and the issue of tax devolution to states by the Union. Historically, too, Stalin or his DMK has a long legacy of issuing such a rallying cry for greater State autonomy. The Dravidian party tasted reasonable success in most instances, too.

The constitution of MM Punchchi Commission in 2007 during the UPA-I, Rajmanannar commission constituted by the M Karunanidhi-led government are a case in point. The latest being the delimitation issue, which Stalin not only created a national political talking point, but also rallied all non-BJP Chief Ministers except West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee.

In effectively combating the onslaught of the BJP on the crucial issues seeking to challenge the State autonomy, Stalin has projected himself as the bulwark against assault on state rights and the face of resistance against the saffron party’s game plan. This is an image that is unlikely to be threatened by any leader in the State heading for polls in less than a year.

Former editor of Frontline and veteran journalist R Vijayasankar says, “One can draw historic parallels within the DMK for such moves. When Karunanidhi moved the State autonomy resolution in 1974, he insisted that it was not only for Tamil Nadu, but for all the states. The principle of DMK has been that India cannot be controlled from Delhi. Extraordinary powers were given to the Centre in the Constitution during the integration of the princely states. Anna quickly realised that the states lacked enough powers. The DMK started by asking for the maximum–separate statehood–and secured as much (state autonomy) as it could. The Sarkaria and Punchhi commissions also happened due to pressure from DMK.”

Reiterating that it’s an issue to be fought by all states, Vijayasankar said, “The double-engine BJP governments in the states will not concur with Stalin. But, it will affect the states when a non-BJP or INDIA bloc party forms the government in those states. Stalin is doing the right thing at a time of over-centralisation. The Congress governments of the distant past also committed excesses. But the Bommai judgment clipped their wings. Also, there was internal democracy within, and the standing committees were in place in the Congress regime. But, under the incumbent BJP regime, one must doubt if the Cabinet committees exist at all. Power is concentrated in PM’s office. Stalin foresaw the threats and convened an all-party meeting before mobilising the southern states on the delimitation too.”

Beyond the rhetoric of state rights/autonomy and constitutional guardianship, Stalin also might have hit the electoral bird with the same stone. His offensive also helped cement his position as the face of saffron resistance in Tamil Nadu, an image no other leader is close to challenging. Furthermore, it would enable the DMK-led alliance to maintain the political or rather, electoral rhetoric largely as Dravidian vs saffron or Centre vs State in an otherwise dichotomous poll fight between the DMK and AIADMK.

The AIADMK’s alliance with the BJP has spared little for the other parties to stake a claim for DMK’s strong anti-saffron image. Veteran journalist and political commentator ‘Tharasu’ Shyam says, “Elections are cultural wars. Stalin is using the opposition to the saffron brigade to his best advantage. His opposition to the presidential reference is in accordance with that objective. After all, one can win an Assembly election with 35% of the vote. Stalin’s war cry helps increase his winability in TN. It will concretise him as the face of the BJP opposition in TN.”