JOIN USTamil Nadu politics was admired by many for its radical, transformative potential for socio-economic change. Today, it has been challenged by ideological compromises; lack of charismatic leadership in the two major Dravidian parties; fragmentation among the castes; and an unprecedented level of political masquerading. J Jayalalitha's demise and M Karunanidhi's illness have created a vacuum in state politics to be filled by new political aspirants.
For the past 50 years, TN politics has been personality-centric, rather than revolving around ideology and collective leadership, which are essential for constructing a fair polity. Political culture is driven by celluloid personalities who engage in a 'star war'. The cult behaviour of their fans and the sycophancy of political cadres encourage such leaders into launching their own political parties. In fact, electoral democracy is a farce today.
On December 31, 2017, Ranjinikath gave wings to his protracted 'desire' to enter electoral politics with vague ideals and without any political substance. All he did was repeatedly declare that the "system is rotten," so it was his duty to clean it up. But how does he plan to do it? Even his slogan - Unnmai Uzhaippu Uyarvu! (truth, hardwork, progress) - was copied from the popular Saravana Stores in Chennai. Indeed, what he advised his followers to take up was "spiritual politics".
Electoral politics is not rooted in mere morals, but in the everyday struggles of common people. Tamil Nadu has people belonging to different religions, languages, castes and class. It is not clear if Rajini is tolerant to these various segments and if "spiritual politics" will actually translate into secular politics. After his declaration, Rajini visited Sree Ramakrishna Mutt in Mylapore and sought blessings of the head seer there, and then from Karunanidhi, not from priests of other faiths.
On the other hand, Kamal Haasan floated his own political party, Makkal Needhi Maiam (People's Justice Centre) in Madurai on February 21 with superficial promises of establishment of a casteless society, jobs for all at Rs 20,000 pm, Dravidian unity, free public education, etc. However, his stand on the recent controversy over vandalism of Periyar's statue and the Andal issue have exposed him.
But where were these two superstars when Jayalalitha and her party were ruling the roost? Indeed, Vijayakanth, who challenged both Jayalalitha and Karunanidhi, seems more courageous than Rajini or Kamal. But after the drubbing he faced in the last Lok Sabha polls, in alliance with the BJP-led NDA, his party DMDK has found it extremely difficult to make a comeback.
In late-1980s, the BJP and the Sangh Parivar consistently tried to better their prospects in TN by using a diverse range of issues, such as Ganesh Chaturthi, anti-conversion etc. Both DMK and AIADMK have forged alliances with the BJP in the past.
Most recently, in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had new political partners in the PMK, MDMK, DMDK and a few Tamil nationalist groups. While they could not gain in terms of seats, their acceptability has risen. Furthermore, with the demise of Jayalalitha and the conviction of V K Sasikala, the BJP is certain to gain ground.
However, the impact of demonetisation, GST Bill, the PNB scam, Gujarat results as well as the NEET, Cauvery, Andal episodes and the Tamil thai (Mother Tamil) and Periyar's statue row have dealt its image a severe blow.
Given such a strong anti-BJP sentiment among people, Rajini may use his popularity to consolidate his support base and establish a political party. He may then explore a grand alliance with the EPS and OPS camps as well as other caste outfits which are soft towards Hindutva politics. While the frenzied passion for Tamil identity has heightened among the youth, it still does not guarantee votes as the proportion of young voters is significantly low.
The emergence of new political outfits of cine idols, continuing anti-Dalit violence, honour killings, compromise on state autonomy and declining economic development stand testimony to the weakness of Dravidian politics. For this politics only reproduces caste-centred supremacy across civil society, educational institutions, media and other structures like state, industries etc.
How Rajini or Kamal or the BJP rectify these accumulated problems in governance remains to be seen. Meanwhile, the people of Tamil Nadu need to embrace the radical ideals of social justice and secular politics again for a strong democracy and prudent electoral politics.
(The writer is associate professor, Madras Institute of Development Studies)