Barely had the idea of so-called united opposition started gaining traction among the electorally sidelined, it seems to be headed towards an early death. Cracks in the walls of many regional parties are appearing who initiated the creation of united front. These cracks are widening only with each passing day. Many regional parties are plagued by leadership vacuum, anti-incumbency, ego issues and many other issues which are not good signs for the so-called united opposition.
Now, the cracks in the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) seem to be emerging. DMK has won zero seats in 2014 Lok Sabha elections. All this is happening when Tamil Nadu is already witnessing leadership crisis and going through a stage of political turmoil. There is no strong leader to lead Tamil Nadu after the demise of Jayalalitha and Karunanidhi has become too old to lead the state.
Karunanidhi’s party DMK is led by his son Stalin, his daughter Kanimozhi is a very dominant player in the party as well as in the state. Many new players are jumping into the political arena to fill the leadership vacuum. The fringe elements are also trying their luck to gain political clout in the state. All the major protests marred with controversy and violence in the state has been led by these anti-social fringe elements. They are escalating very fast in the politics of Tamil Nadu and ruling party is busy in solving out its own internal issues. The ruling party is divided into many internal factions. Somehow, the principal opposition, DMK, has been unable to reap the dividends.
In addition to her political works, Kanimozhi is a poetess as well. In her recent poem, Kanimozhi has very subtly, alluded to the pain of not taking advantage of the situation and fulfilling the political vacuum in the state. Basically, she is disappointed with the way his brother, Stalin, is leading the party. Her poem was very emotional. She made an emotional appeal through her poem to her father to come back in the politics of Tamil Nadu. One of the lines of her poem reads, “We are all pulling the chariot, but it has not moved. Before our hands get tired, lose confidence and fall, please come back.” This has been perceived as an attack on her brother Stalin who is still leading the party despite the fact that under his leadership the DMK party has suffered many failures.
A DMK MLA has also confirmed the same to the New Indian Express. He said, “She has said something many of us could not openly say. We have a strong leader, several second-rung leaders, but our (the party’s) position has been at a standstill since the demise of J Jayalalithaa (late Chief Minister). Except for walking out of Assembly, we have been unable to do much politically.” The poem written by Kanimozhi was published in few Tamil newspapers but not in the DMK’s mouthpiece, Murasoli.
It’s not like a clash is happening for the first time in the family. Earlier also, Maran faction of the family and Alagiri faction and others have been fighting among themselves. They all have been sidelined by the party. And now it looks like the only remaining two are all set for a clash. This is also not good news for the united opposition. Any clash between the two would eventually make the party weaker in the state which is not a good thing. It will give benefit to other rising political players in the state. BJP is also spreading its wings in the Tamil Nadu. As far as DMK is concerned if this chaos and confusion within the party continues then one day very soon it might be facing an existential crisis.