A language meet by a CM

All roads,quite literally,have been leading to the industrial city of Coimbatore this summer. The ministers are there,so are the senior state government staff. There is extra liquor in the state-owned retail centres,special arrangements for the expected dignitaries,including President Pratibha Patil who will inaugurate the five-day conference,and an elaborate security set-up.

This,however,is only one half of the story. Its the other half that has the entire state in suspended animation in the build-up to the meet.

When Karunanidhi announced his decision to hold the Tamil meet in Coimbatore,he failed to get the full support of the International Association of Tamil Research IATR the body that had organised the previous eight Tamil meets,then called World Tamil Conference,without any particular periodicity.

IATR president and renowned Tamil scholar Noboru Karashima of Japan refused to give formal consent,pointing out that more than a year was required to organise the conference. Even after the government garnered the support of a majority of the top IATR members and postponed the meet by six months to June from January,Karashima refused to concede. Karunanidhi then decided to go ahead,with the meet being rechristened now to World Classical Tamil Conference.

The CM reasoned that this was the first Tamil conference after the Centre had granted classical status to the language,and hence the new name. However,it was clear that he was sidestepping the controversy.

Karunanidhi then took the unprecedented step of inviting opposition members to be a part of the organising committee. However,led by the AIADMK,they rejected it.

That brings us to the other component of this gestalt: the reasoning behind Karunanidhis move.

According to his critics,the DMK supremo planned this extravaganza after the last phase of the Eelam war in Sri Lanka where a large number of Tamils died. Karunanidhi was accused by pro-Tamil sections of not doing enough despite being a part of the ruling coalition at the Centre a direct attack on the DMKs Tamil base. The Rs 500-crore Tamil meet,believe critics,is to be Karunanidhis moment of redemption.

There is also a buzz that the five-time CM may announce his retirement or at least make his plans clear from this platform. Karunanidhi has hinted at the same,saying some months ago that after the Tamil meet,he would become just another common man. At a public meeting that followed,he had talked about younger son M K Stalin taking on much of his responsibilities.

What adds credence to this view is that the other son,M K Alagiri,who has never hidden his desire for Karunanidhis throne,has kept a complete distance from the conference. When the curtains go up in Coimbatore on Wednesday,he would be among the states rare notables not present.