New Delhi, June 19 – It is quite likely that when Kanimozhi greeted Muthuvel Karunanidhi on Father’s Day a couple of days back, the doting father would have realised that he has to work hard to give Kani the return gift she wants – a Rajya Sabha seat.
When I asked Kanimozhi on Monday if she is nervous that it may be a touch-and-go affair, she expressed confidence in her leader’s abilities to see her through. And that means Karunanidhi has to bend backwards to ensure he gets the eleven extra votes Kanimozhi needs to go to the Rajya Sabha once again.
DMK has 23 votes of its own and it has been assured of 2 votes by the MMK. The PMK is likely to add its 3 votes to the DMK kitty. If the Congress, with its 5 MLAs, and Puthiya Tamizhagam with 2 seats come on board, Kanimozhi will be able to breast the finish line a victor.
On the other hand, actor-turned-politician Vijaykanth’s DMDK that has entered the poll fray, has very little chance of winning. It has 22 MLAs (seven of its MLAs from its original count of 29 are now supporting the AIADMK) and even if the Congress supports it, it has no chance of making it.
The Congress has confirmed that it is being wooed by both the DMK and the DMDK.
But to interpret the Rajya Sabha election as only arithmetic would be to read this wrong. It is now a game of chess where moves are being made by all the principal players and the pawns to win a short-term battle and keep the powder dry for the big battle next year.
Jayalalithaa has played a smart game by withdrawing her candidate and supporting D Raja of the CPI. Not only does this mean keeping the Left on her side ahead of 2014, it also ensures that the Communists do not gravitate towards the DMK in this Rajya Sabha election.
Vijaykanth, who contested the 2011 Assembly polls in alliance with Jaya, fell out with her and was keen to explore a working relationship with Karunanidhi. But by threatening to derail Kanimozhi’s chances, Vijaykanth has burnt bridges with the former CM. This ensures that the opposition to Amma remains fragmented and that would be to the AIADMK’s advantage in the Lok Sabha polls next year.
The big loser at the end of this Rajya Sabha battle is likely to be Vijaykanth. The grapevine in Chennai suggested that the actor, known for his firebrand dialogues on screen, wanted to sew up an electoral pact with the DMK in return for withdrawing his candidate from the fray. If sources are to be believed, something has surely gone wrong between the DMK and the DMDK.
Karunanidhi has swallowed pride by reaching out to the Congress for support. Remember, the same DMK was all fire and brimstone when it withdrew support to the UPA over the Sri Lanka issue and later spit venom on the Congress when the CBI tried to carry out a search operation at Stalin’s home in Chennai.
All that bitterness is clearly a thing of the past as the cause of his daughter is as important, if not more, as the Tamil cause.
– INDIA TODAY
