Going home to mother

Six years ago, when the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) in Tamil Nadu broke away from the Congress, in protest over the latter’s alliance with the AIADMK in the assembly elections, it sprung a surprise. The elections saw it emerge with an impressive tally of 39 seats. This led to a great deal of euphoria among many who saw in the fledgling party the seeds of a third force in Tamil Nadu politics. Therefore, TMC’s return to the Congress fold — due to be formalised on August 1 — does in a sense put the clock back. But it could hardly have been otherwise, with the late TMC founder, G.K. Moopanar, having failed to develop and nurture a credible second line of leadership.

Much as TMC leaders may stress that the merger is unconditional, the surmise is inescapable that Moopanar’s son and successor, G.K. Vasan, has struck a deal with the Congress leadership to feather his own nest in a situation where he realised that he was on a sinking ship. That the TMC, with 23 MLAs, is merging with the Congress which has only seven of its own, betrays the capitulation of the TMC. That this was expedient given the absence of a charismatic leadership within that party is, however, easier to accept.

The Congress would like to pretend that it would now be a force to reckon with in Tamil Nadu politics. But unless it puts its house in order it can have little justification for such optimism. The party is not only woefully faction-ridden but is organisationally very weak. In fact, the possibility of it gravitating towards the DMK is quite strong, given the DMK’s growing estrangement with the BJP at the Centre. But with the aging Karunanidhi failing to enthuse the party cadres and a second line of leadership as elusive as it was in the TMC, it would be an uphill task to get the better of the wily, better organised and charismatic Jayalalithaa. Two years down the line, when the Lok Sabha elections take place, the re-united Congress will have to face its ordeal by fire. Therefore, the time for it to put its act together is now. Not only must its various factions close ranks, but it must also come up with a clearcut agenda and a credible leadership that fires the imagination of the masses. If it fails to do so, it needs no messiah to predict that the Dravidian stranglehold over power in Tamil Nadu would continue without impediment.