The Sun king

One India from Kashmir to Kanyakumari” — Dayanidhi Maran,erstwhile Union minister for communications and IT reminds voters of the one-rupee national call rate he implemented. The DMK has certainly come a long way,from a tightly focused vision of Dravida selfhood to this grand vision of national conversation enabled by technology. While the party has,over its years as a valued national ally,practised a more expansive outlook,it has never so openly invoked the nation as its arena for action. Technology,we know,can rejig the balance of forces between local and larger affiliations. In his “One India” campaign,Maran brandishes his record in attracting Rs 2.66 crore of foreign direct investment,throwing in boldface brands like Nokia,Sony,Samsung and Dell,even “the uncrowned emperor of the IT world,Bill Gates of Microsoft”,to bolster his cause.

Of course,this big-picture vision is necessary because Maran’s local report card is so weak. His political career was shot down mid-flight after the Maran family newspaper Dinakaran published a damaging survey about Karunanidhi’s elder son M.K. Azhagiri. After the family rift,the cold vibes made it pretty much impossible for Dayanidhi to get anything achieved in his Central Chennai constituency. Even projects he personally threw his weight behind,like the Aminjikarai bridge across the Cooum,were held up. Now,having realised that blood is thicker than water (even the turgid Cooum’s),Maran has been reinstated in the party and is now extolling the DMK’s freebies — the rice at Re 1 per kg,the free colour TVs and gas cylinders,and the one-rupee cellphone call rate.

Now,Maran’s “One India” touch shows the widening of DMK’s political lens. Interestingly,the AIADMK has also touched on national themes this election,offering its vision on the global recession,tax cuts and SEZ policy,among other matters. Now,all that remains to be tested is Central Chennai’s field of vision: will it forgive some local neglect for the sake of Maran’s big promises?