Union Home Minister Amit Shah is visiting Chennai today to inaugurate various developmental projects and also to meet with BJP Tamil Nadu office bearers.
His arrival has left the political parties in Tamil Nadu, perspiring and biting their nails about the turbulence it is about to create in the Tamil Nadu political scene.
Till now, only the visit of the Prime Minister or the leader of a national political party (BJP or Congress) triggers discussions in political circles and media leading to speculations about coalitions and electoral strategies. But after a long time, the visit of a Home Minister is being closely watched by Tamil Nadu political parties more than their own party affairs. This is the impact that Amit Shah has had through his strategies and manoeuvres.
Tamil Nadu is gearing up for the Assembly elections to be held in May 2021 and the absence of the matriarch and patriarch of Tamil Nadu politics has put the state at crossroads.
From this point, the course that Tamil Nadu takes will be the path for the next few decades.
In this context, Amit Shah’s visit is being seen as the arrival of the north-east monsoon cyclone which usually hits the state around this time, making its landfall in Chennai putting to test even the strongest and oldest trees (DMK and AIADMK).
The AIADMK government has been able to survive and has also managed to change the perception about its leadership over the past few years thanks to its good equation with the Centre.
On the other hand, the DMK has been struggling with its image of dynasty politics, corruption and more importantly Hindu hatred.
Those in the DMK who joined because of Karunanidhi and decided to spend the rest of their lives in the party are rethinking thanks to DMK chief MK Stalin’s son and ‘actor’ Udhayanidhi Stalin’s rise in the party. Even senior-most leaders have to bend their knee in front of the new prince of the DMK. This has led to unease even amongst several senior leaders of the party.
Any party’s strength is its ground level cadres. The DMK which has for a long time been a host to anti-national and anti-Hindu termites has now been weakened with rising Hindu consciousness among the masses in Tamil Nadu. Scores of members from the party including top leaders have joined the BJP ever since Dr. L. Murugan took over as President of the party’s state unit who has managed to turn tides in his favour by capitalizing on this rising Hindu consciousness.
Amidst this, it is expected that MK Alagiri who was sidelined by his father Karunanidhi and the party might get a new lease of life with him floating an outfit that will align with the BJP. Amit Shah, upon touch down at the Chennai Airport today afternoon will be heading straight to Hotel Leela Palace where he will be meeting with some ‘important and prominent people’. MK Alagiri could be one. Already, the ball has been rolled from Alagiri’s side. Former DMK MP K.P. Ramalingam who is considered close to Alagiri joined the BJP in the presence of Dr. L. Murugan and BJP leader C.T. Ravi who is in-charge of party affairs in Tamil Nadu.
It is to be noted that south Tamil Nadu, known as the MRT area (Madurai, Ramanathapuram, Tirunelveli) is key to electoral victories to the extent that it has the potential to determine the Chief Minister. Be it MGR’s move to field his first candidate in Dindigul or Jayalalithaa contesting from Bodinayakkanur, the southern region is considered as the first forte to be won to be successful in Tamil Nadu’s electoral politics. With MK Alagiri commanding a huge base in and around the regions of south Tamil Nadu especially Madurai, he could be the chip that the BJP will play.
It is to be noted that Home Minister Amit Shah will be paying respects to late leaders and former Chief Ministers from the AIADMK – Dr. M. G. Ramachandran and J. Jayalalithaa before inaugurating and laying the foundation stone for various development projects. His meeting with the BJP Tamil Nadu office bearers at 6 PM will at the maximum stretch to 8 PM. He will be staying for the night in Chennai and is leaving for Delhi only at 10:15 AM tomorrow (November 22). Between these hours, no plans have been made to visit Karunanidhi’s memorial to pay tributes, who was also a former Chief Minister. This has sent across a subtle signal that the BJP will position itself against the DMK while it may be open to alliance with the AIADMK.
All said and done, we are not speculating about a normal politician here. The man here is Amit Shah. No one knows what he has in his mind. He will have his own calculations to chart victories. He is a man of surprises and hence one must always expect the unexpected.