With 39 Lok Sabha constituencies, Tamil Nadu has emerged as a strategically important State for the national parties vying to form the next government at the Centre after the upcoming general election.
The Congress is bending over backwards to put its dismal performance in the last election behind it. While it has encountered unfavourable conditions in a few States, it has cemented its ties with the DMK, though the number of seats it would get to contest remains undecided. The BJP, currently isolated, is seeking to make up for the losses it could suffer in a few States by preparing the ground for an alliance with the AIADMK.
The BJP’s desperation is explained by the speech made by Thuglak editor and RSS ideologue S. Gurumurthy at the 49th anniversary of the magazine in Coimbatore this month. He had made it clear that the re-election of Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister would be difficult if the Opposition camp, led by the DMK-Congress combine, won more seats from T.N.
Thuglak’s take
“It is the opinion of Thuglak that the BJP should join hands with the AIADMK. The alliance should happen as it will augur well for the country. But we do not know whether it will happen or not,” he had said. He had claimed that while the “corrupt DMK” advocated atheist and “anti-national” ideology, the AIADMK was “equally corrupt” but was not anti-Hindu and was not controlled by a family.
However, DMK leader and former Union Minister A. Raja said his party had never given up its Dravidian identity, while retaining its national outlook. “ Our participation in the Central government revolutionised the telecom sector, though I had to spend 19 months in jail,” he said.
Mr. Raja foresaw a situation where the formation of the Central government post-elections would depend on regional parties, more specifically on the DMK in Tamil Nadu. “Our contribution to the Centre this time will be much more than what we have done in the past, and our leader M.K. Stalin will be the guiding star when it comes to deciding the PM and the nature of the government,” he claimed.