Is Stalin setting off inclusive politics in TN?
Chennai When Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin assumed power after taking oath of office on May 7, there was a general feeling that cult politics is on the way back to Tamil Nadu and that the new Chief Minister will practice what was known to him since the days of his late father M Karunanidhi, his bete-noire and former Chief minister of the state, late MGR and the late Chief minister J Jayalalithaa.
Politics practiced in those days was politics of hostility and politics of showing off power with Jayalalithaa becoming a classic example of creating an aura of working behind the curtains with even party colleagues and fellow ministers not being able to communicate with the Chief minister. Jaya even made it a practice that even senior ministers prostrated before her in open stages where mammoth public gatherings were held. The political fights, slugfests and the oneupmanship were too much to be tolerated in the political sphere of the state.
The fights reached a crescendo when Karunanidhi arrested and put Jayalalithaa behind bars in the disproportionate wealth cases and when Jaya came back to power, she took her revenge. An octogenarian Karunandhi who was a former Chief minister was picked by the Tamil Nadu police and arrested and TV channels across the globe flashed the face of Karunanidhi who was wailing in front of the camera.
Similar was the fate of Murosoli Maran, Karunanidhi's nephew and then Union minister in Vajpayee cabinet who was also arrested and picked up from his residence. Stalin seems to have put an end to the politics of hostilities and is focusing more on one of inclusiveness.
After the passing away of Jayalalithaa, the politics of cult or showbiz politics had to take a backseat as her successors in AIADMK, Edappadi K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam being the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister let go of the aura created by Jaya and instead were more accessible to the public and people could even meet the Chief Minister either at his office or residence.