DMK’s Catch-22: Support a Tamil VP nominee or stand by ideology?

Chennai: Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK will have to walk a tightrope between Tamil pride and its strident opposition to the BJP-RSS ideology following the NDA’s decision to field ‘son of the soil’ C P Radhakrishnan as its candidate for the Vice-Presidential election on September 9.

The nomination of Radhakrishnan, fondly known as CPR, who represented Coimbatore twice in the Lok Sabha, comes at a time when the BJP is at the receiving end of DMK’s attacks. The Dravidian party has been using every opportunity to brand the saffron party as “anti-Tamil” and accuse it of acting against the interests of the state and its distinct culture.

The DMK government and the BJP-led Centre are also locked in a tussle over the refusal of funds under Samagra Shiksha, after Tamil Nadu declined to implement a three-language policy, which the state views as a backdoor entry for Hindi.

Interestingly, Radhakrishnan met DMK President and Chief Minister M K Stalin on August 11 in Chennai to enquire about his health.

By fielding CPR, the BJP is clearly signaling that it respects Tamil Nadu and Tamils, despite the state rejecting the party electorally.

While Tamil outreach may not be the only factor behind CPR’s nomination -- especially after the sudden resignation of incumbent Jagdeep Dhankhar -- it is certainly one of the considerations, given the BJP’s concerted efforts to expand its base in Tamil Nadu.

If elected, CPR will become the third Vice-President of India from Tamil Nadu, after Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and R Venkataraman, both of whom later ascended the Presidency in 1962 and 1987 respectively.

For the DMK, the situation is a classic Catch-22. With 22 members in the Lok Sabha and 10 in the Rajya Sabha, the party will face pressure from the BJP and its ally AIADMK to support CPR, a pachai Tamizhan (true-blue Tamil), and once again prove its “love for Tamils.” But the DMK’s allies --Congress, Left, and VCK -- are unlikely to approve such a move, as they would see CPR primarily through the prism of his RSS-BJP background.

Backing Radhakrishnan solely because he hails from Tamil Nadu might also risk alienating the DMK from the I.N.D.I.A. bloc. The party currently enjoys excellent rapport with the Congress, and any deviation could strain ties within the alliance in Tamil Nadu, if not at the national level.

At the same time, opposing CPR won’t be easy either. He belongs to the dominant Gounder community of western Tamil Nadu, a region where the DMK has traditionally been weak but has recently been making concerted efforts to gain ground.

Not supporting CPR could allow the AIADMK-BJP, both strong in the region, to mount a major offensive against the ruling party.

The real question is whether the DMK would be willing to back a BJP candidate when assembly elections are barely eight months away. Such a move would give rival parties ammunition to portray the DMK and BJP as two sides of the same coin -- an allegation already being pushed by Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam leader and actor Vijay.

Senior journalist Maalan Narayanan told DH that the DMK will be expected to support CPR. “The only excuse the DMK can provide to oppose CPR is his RSS background,” he said.

“The fact remains that the BJP will seize this opportunity to claim it respects Tamils, and that’s why it has chosen a senior Tamil politician for a high constitutional post,” Narayanan added.

Long-time Tamil Nadu watcher R Bhagwan Singh echoed this view, saying the BJP will project CPR’s nomination as proof of its respect for Tamil Nadu and as a way to counter the DMK’s narrative that the state and its culture are being sidelined under saffron rule.

However, Narayanan argued that even if the DMK does not support CPR, the issue will have little impact in the 2026 elections.

“For a few weeks or months, the BJP and AIADMK will try to make it a serious issue and put the DMK on the defensive. But it won’t influence the polls. Still, if the DMK chooses not to support CPR, it will have to explain its stand,” he added.