TN politics resembles a stereotyped masala movie

Over the past two weeks or so, South India has been lashed by heavy rains and floods that has left behind devastation of a hitherto unseen levels, straining every available resource of two to three state governments of the region to ensure relief and rehabilitation of manageable proportions.

While this goes on, in the state of Tamil Nadu, however, which escaped nature’s fury, there were torrents of political comments and reactions of a slanging match kind, firmly reinforcing the Dravidian model of rajneeti in this part of the country. After having read and watched over digital media channels as to what transpired in Chennai two weeks ago, one can firmly conclude that one can take Rajinikanth out of active politics but one cannot take out politics from Rajinikanth.

Having attempted and succeeded in bringing the spotlight on the generational tussle within the ruling DMK, Rajini, who used a euphemistic approach to taunt the oldies of the Dravidian party still clinging on to power and pelf, demonstrated that he can create a stir in local politics whenever he desires. And if that is to be done at the bidding of his well-wishers in the ruling party, he would not hesitate to do so, ever.

Obviously, there have been many arguments on whether the father-son duo of Chief Minister Stalin and Udayanidhi should have deployed the Superstar to do their dirty work. And why would Rajini’s opinions matter to the party cadre, which has not seen him as one of their own, not even as close as his rival Kamal Haasan, who has been making sympathetic noises over the past year and more.

While it is whispered in the Tamil media that Rajini did this to stave off the rising threat to his filmi throne from Vijay, whose political entry is being speculated, the sad state of DMK’s opponent, the AIADMK, and its leadership has only shown how Tamil Nadu has fallen off the radar as far as national attention is concerned.

The BJP, which gained voting share during the recent Lok Sabha polls and looked combative under the cop-turned-neta Annamalai, too, seems to be hibernating. With Annamalai off to the UK for three months till December to pursue a Chevening Gurukul Fellowship for Leadership and Excellence programme offered by Oxford University, the old guard of the saffron party are enjoying a forced break, it seems.

Unconfirmed as it is, it looks like there is a ‘frenemy’ model that is being explored between the Chennai government and the Centre as the rabble-rousers of the DMK have suddenly gone quiet. The BJP, too, has piped down its attack on Stalin, except the usual ones to keep the local media happy. One can foresee this dull phase to last for a while, even as 2026 polls is what everyone would look forward to in their endeavour to stake a claim for the seat of power.