2G scam: Kalaignar in a Catch-22

DMK leader Karunandhi, 88, has run out of political options, according to his close associates of more than five decades. “He is almost finished. It will be difficult for him to stage a comeback at this age,” said D Pandian, CPI leader and a personal friend of Karunanidhi since the 1950s.

The DMK patriarch has called a meeting of the party seniors at his Gopalapuram residence in the city. “The party may not attend the dinner meeting called by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in connection with the second anniversary of the UPA-II government,” said a DMK functionary.

He added that the party is not in a celebratory mood, given the arrest of Kanimozhi, daughter of Karunanidhi, in connection with the second generation mobile telephony spectrum allocation scam. But he was quick to point out that DMK’s ties with the Congress would continue. 

Fridays are turning out to be inauspicious for the DMK. On May 13, a Friday, the party suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the AIADMK in the election to the Tamil Nadu assembly. Last Friday, Kanimozhi, favourite daughter of party patriarch Muthuvel Karunanidhi, was denied bail by the special court hearing the second generation mobile telephony spectrum allocation scam and was sent to the Tihar jail.     

Though it is not totally a party affair, Kanimozhi’s arrest concerns the family of the DMK leader. For the first time in his political life, Karunanidhi finds himself in a Catch 22 position. “Any political step taken at this juncture will have serious repercussions in Karunanidhi’s family and also in the party as a whole, as there is a considered view that you cannot afford to let the ship sink just for the sake of one passenger,” said a party functionary.

N Kalyanasundaram, political commentator and a close friend of Karunanidhi, is of the view that the DMK leader does not have many options left. “He will have to fight the case on his own. There is no possibility of Karunanidhi calling off the ties with the Congress.” He also added that there was no chance of the Congress extending any kind of help to the DMK at this juncture.

He further pointed out that the DMK is in its lowest ebb in the state. “His bête noir Jayalalithaa has come to power. Given the situation in Tamil Nadu, Karunanidhi, for the sake of his daughter, will not burn his bridges with the Congress as that could destroy the support he has been receiving from them as a member of the UPA government.”

CPI’s assistant secretary Mahendran is also convinced that Karunanidhi will not come out of the Congress alliance. “The DMK and Karunanidhi are experts in compromising on their values for power. They survive on tactics and strategies, unlike the Left, which will not hesitate to fight for the cause of the people,” he said.  

Though he had expected some kind of help from the Congress, his trusted ally since 2004, it did not come. “What shocked him more is the fact that neither Sonia Gandhi nor Manmohan Singh had bothered to call him following the electoral setback. But both the leaders called his arch rival Jayalalithaa to congratulate her on the impressive wins,” said a DMK functionary. Sonia even extended an invitation to Jayalalithaa for tea at 10 Janpath.

Now the DMDK has become the main opposition party and chances are that party leader Vijayakant will walk away with all the limelight associated with the status of the leader of opposition.
Karunanidhi is facing two crucial tasks with the arrest of Kanimozhi. “He has to keep the party together. He has to also keep the family together as the repercussions will be more in the family circle than in the party,” said the DMK functionary.

But what is intriguing is the silent signals emanating from the Gopalapuram residence of Dayalu Ammal, Karunanidhi’s second wife. “Alagiri, the union minister, his elder son, is reported not to have made any comments while Stalin, the younger son, and cousin Dayanidhi Maran are keeping mum, probably distancing themselves from the situation,” said the DMK leader. He also said Rajathi, Kanimozhi’s mother, felt humiliated that the family has not taken any action in support of Kanimozhi.   

Political observers and DMK leaders in Chennai feel that once Kanimozhi gets her bail, troubles in the family would surface, causing more mental agony to the former chief minister. “It is an uphill task for Karunanidhi to rebuild the party. Age is not on his side. Without him, the DMK will become a rudderless boat,” said Pandian.