I’m just reviving the Dravidian spirit: Karunanidhi

Next to dark glasses, the most common fixture in a Karunanidhi portrait or poster is the pen, hand-held or clipped in his shirt pocket. But ...

Next to dark glasses, the most common fixture in a Karunanidhi portrait or poster is the pen, hand-held or clipped in his shirt pocket. But for once the prolific film-writer and columnist has more use for the eraser. He has to live down a past that is too close and non-Dravidian for comfort. On the eve of Manmohan Singh’s arrival, when Karunanidhi sits down for a chat, he is a bit evasive, but as suggestive as ever.

So he is beginning a new chapter? ‘‘No, just reviving the Dravidian spirit.’’ Why revive? What went wrong? Smile. This is the closest he can get to admitting to a deviation. He goes on to clarify that the link was not with the BJP but with the NDA, carefully crafted by late nephew Maran, for long his eyes and ears in Delhi. Over the decades, DMK has had its share of allies, from Indira Gandhi through Morarjee, Gowda, Gujral and Vajpayee to now Sonia Gandhi. Thanks to these extensions of regional power, many benefits have accrued to the state, from the Cauvery Tribunal to checking Hindi imposition.

Once elections come — first to the Lok Sabha and more vitally to the Assembly in 2006 — such nuancing and Just reviving Dravidian spirit, says Karunanidhi

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detailing will hardly matter. In the satire-savvy Tamil poll theatrics, DMK’s rivals will put its Hindutva honeymoon to lethal use. Beyond providing electoral entertainment is Hindutva a vote-swinger? Karunanidhi is noncommital. He is sure no one will accuse him of being religion-driven. ‘‘Personally I have no religion. You can’t let religion hijack politics but you have to live with many faiths today.’’

The once-atheist Dravidian landscape is crawling with believers and closet-believers. The only choice is between soft-secularism and, hopefully, soft Hindutva. How does he account for the rise of caste politics? He departs from custom to name MGR. The late film hero carved out of the party a personal following, that got a bit too personal to bother about ideology. Throughout the interview however there is one name that is not mentioned — Jayalalithaa. Anything you say in these parts can be taken down and used as evidence against you. So that is the real worry — POTA. This law shattered the very rationale of Chennai-Delhi tie-ups, which was to check the local opponent. In a collective suicide bid, the allies voted in an act that armed their closer home rival to the teeth. Now they dread POTA even more than the biggest regional nightmare — Article 356. Pragmatism like Revolution is devouring its children.

Having gone through the Emergency and MISA, was POTA abuse so unpredictable? ‘‘Vajpayee and Advani personally assured…And Vajpayee was a fellow traveller in the JP, Janata days.’’ In fact, it is this personal comfort level with (he breaks into English) ‘‘the right man in the wrong party’’ that got this wise man into the wrong camp. Even Maran isn’t around to help with the next round of delinks and relinks. The party turned patriarchy has only the patriarch to look up to. His eraser has already got into action. The prickly problems with the Congress are going, going…