Udhayanidhi’s Ganesha picture on Twitter leads to a political storm

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which was founded on the principles of rationalism, faced some embarrassing moments on Monday when its youth wing chief Udhayanidhi Stalin posted a picture of his daughter holding a clay-made idol of Lord Ganesha on his verified Twitter account.

The caption-less picture uploaded in the wee hours of Monday led to a major political storm with Udhayanidhi being attacked vehemently for “deviating from the party’s founding principles” on Twitter and other social media platforms.

And the attack was led by none other than known supporters and sympathisers of the DMK, who even questioned the leader’s meteoric rise in the party – his father M K Stalin, the Twitter users reminded him, had to wait for over four decades to helm the DMK, which was founded in 1949.

Political analysts said the tweet was “unwanted” and it amounted to “walking straight into the trap” laid by the BJP, which has been flaunting the “Hindu pride” off late in a state that has never voted on religious lines in the past. BJP has been projecting DMK as “anti-Hindu.”

Under fire, Udhayanidhi released a statement in the evening clarifying that the idol was installed at his home by his mother, Durga Stalin, on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. “My daughter wanted to pose for a picture with the idol before it was taken for immersion. I posted the picture on Twitter to fulfil the wishes of my daughter who loved the picture,” he said.

DMK leaders never wish for Hindu festivals like Deepavali and Ganesh Chaturthi but greet people on Pongal as it is widely known as the festival of the Tamil race irrespective of their religion. And this is not the first time the DMK has landed itself in a controversy over Ganesh Chaturthi – in 2014, Stalin had wished people on the occasion on his verified Twitter page, but the tweet was soon deleted.

Though the party said the wishes were posted by “enthusiastic” social media handlers of Stalin without his approval, it was widely believed it irked his father and then DMK chief M Karunanidhi. Udhayanidhi’s tweet came a day after questions were raised on why a “particular party leader” does not wish people on the occasion of Hindi festivals.

The DMK’s youth wing leader might have posted the picture as a direct reply to the taunts from the party’s detractors, it did not go quite well with the supporters. He was not spared either by the AIADMK leaders who accused the DMK of seeking “divine intervention” due to fear of losing the “Hindu votes.”

Prof. Ramu Manivannan, Head of Department of Politics and Public Administration, University of Madras, told DH that DMK did not have to walk into such traps. “It (posting the picture) not just displays DMK’s insecurities but also shows how increasingly DMK realises that the threat to it comes from the BJP and not the AIADMK. It senses the indication of the direction of the threat. DMK did not have to walk into such things,” he added.