By undermining Dravidian politics, can Tamil Nadu regain glory of Kamaraj governance?

By NS Venkataraman*
For over fifty years now, Tamil Nadu has been ruled by two Dravidian parties namely DMK and AIADMK alternately. Before the Dravidian party came to power, Tamil Nadu was ruled by the congress party and had experienced the golden rule by K. Kamaraj who was succeeded by Bhaktavatsalam for a short period.
In spite of such quality governance by Kamaraj, DMK succeeded in defeating the congress party and winning the election by whipping up anti Hindi feelings and propagating the so called Dravidian identity. With powerful speakers on it’s side and very popular matinee idol M.G.Ramachandran being part of the DMK and Rajaji, much admired for his intelligence, supporting DMK and giving it a sort of political respectability, the congress was defeated and never to win the election later on. Perhaps, Rajaji supported DMK placing his faith on the DMK founder C.N. Annadurai about his larger vision. Unfortunately, Annadurai passed away after being the Chief Minister for a short period and then DMK came under the control of leaders who were much less in stature and value system than C.N. Annadurai.
For the last over 50 years when DMK and AIADMK have been alternately In power, there have been steady all round decline in public life in Tamil Nadu with corruption, fast spreading liquor habit and consequently disrupting the family life of poor people and causing enormous sufferings to women folk, hate feelings becoming the order of the day. Other political parties including communist party, which is supposed to have some glorious philosophy, played second fiddle to both the Dravidian parties and changed their alignment with one Dravidian party or the other with least regard for policies and values. The net result today is that the two Dravidian parties are the dominant parties in the state with other parties being caste oriented and national parties like communist party and congress effectively losing their base.
Today, Tamil Nadu has the dubious distinction of the state government earning around Rs. 50,000 crore every year by liquor sale and having the most number of liquor addicts amongst all states in the country. Tamil Nadu’s financial conditions are extremely bad with Tamil Nadu having the highest outstanding debt in the country amongst all states.
With political and administrative corruption increasing beyond tolerable level and people getting disgusted with both the Dravidian parties, both the Dravidian parties, to win elections, are banking on their tactics to provide freebies to voters before the elections and indulging in high level of corruption in the electoral process by bribing the innocent voters belonging to lower income group.
Now, there have been widespread feeling in the state that Tamil Nadu urgently need an alternative to the two Dravidian parties to get back it’s reputation as the most forward looking state in the country. Many discerning voters think that it is high time that a nationalist party get a firm foothold in Tamil Nadu.
In such circumstances, K. Annamalai, a young man with high academic records and excellent service record as police officer, has taken over the leadership of BJP in Tamil Nadu. Many people have started thinking that this is the change that Tamil Nadu needs today. Yet, people need to be convinced that Annamalai can rise up to the occasion and meet the people’s expectations of getting back quality governance in Tami Nadu, for which lofty standards were set up by Kamaraj, who is widely considered as a role model in the state today.
In this scenario, until a few days back, there have been speculation that BJP led by Annamalai would have an alliance with AIADMK in the forthcoming parliamentary election. Such news certainly caused disappointment to many people that Annamalai would also be moving on the beaten track of following the footsteps of other two nationalist parties namely congress and communists. Of course, Annamalai has been on and off talking about critically of both DMK and AIADMK for their several misdeeds and corrupt administration, creating an impression that he is uncomfortable about aligning with the AIADMK.
Now, there is a good news that AIADMK party is angry with Annamalai for his critical remarks against the party and have announced termination of the alliance proposal.
The ground reality based on the past performance records, is that there is really nothing to choose between DMK and AIADMK. Annamalai now gets an opportunity to dispel the impression that BJP could be opportunistic in aligning with AIADMK.
Annamalai’s ongoing padayatra has evoked enthusiastic support from the people and there is huge expectation that Annamalai would stand firm on his principles, reflecting the governance standards set up by Prime Minister Modi and earlier that of K. Kamaraj. People expect that Annamalai would carry on with vigorous campaign against both these Dravidian parties and give hope and opportunity to Tamil Nadu voters in the forthcoming parliamentary election that Tamil Nadu politics would get a nationalistic fervour and restart on a clean slate to regain the glory of Kamaraj governance.
---
*Trustee, Nandini Voice For The Deprived, Chennai

Comments

Sooriyan said…

Whatever written by this author about the governance by the Dravidian parties is utter false and motivated.TN is having the 2nd GDP among Indian states.TN has the maximum no.of factories in India.It stands as the 4 th state among bigger states to have high percapita income of its people.Alcohol addiction in TN is only 16%.This author does not know the difference between the turnover of TASMAC and TN government's earning from selling of liquor by way of excise duty and other taxes.This author is the only person who certifies about the academic and political prowess of Annamalai. Annamalai is a third grade politician Tamilnadu has ever seen in decades, who indulges in corruption even before coming to power in TN.

September 26, 2023

The golden crop: How turmeric is transforming women's lives in tribal India

By Vikas Meshram* When the lush green fields of turmeric sway in the tribal belt of southern Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, it is not merely a spice crop — it is the golden glow of self-reliance. In villages where even basic spices once had to be bought from the market, the very soil today is yielding a prosperity that has transformed the lives of thousands of families. At the heart of this transformation is the initiative of Vaagdhara, which has linked turmeric with livelihoods, nutrition, and village self-governance — gram swaraj.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Authoritarian destruction of the public sphere in Ecuador: Trumpism in action?

By Pilar Troya Fernández The situation in Ecuador under Daniel Noboa's government is one of authoritarianism advancing on several fronts simultaneously to consolidate neoliberalism and total submission to the US international agenda. These are not isolated measures, but rather a coordinated strategy that combines job insecurity, the dismantling of the welfare state, unrestricted access to mining, the continuation of oil exploitation without environmental considerations, the centralization of power through the financial suffocation of local governments, and the systematic criminalization of all forms of opposition and popular organization.

Echoes of Vietnam and Chile: The devastating cost of the I-A Axis in Iran

By Ram Puniyani The recent joint military actions by Israel and the United States against Iran have been devastating. Like all wars, this conflict is brutal to its core, leaving a trail of human suffering in its wake. The stated pretext for this aggression—the brutality of the Ayatollah Khamenei regime and its nuclear ambitions—clashes sharply with the reality of the diplomatic landscape. Iran had expressed a willingness to remain at the negotiating table, signaling a readiness to concede points emerging from dialogue.

False claim? What Venezuela is witnessing is not surrender but a tactical retreat

By Manolo De Los Santos The early morning hours of January 3, 2026, marked an inflection point in Venezuela and Latin America’s centuries-long struggle for self-determination and independence. Operation Absolute Resolve, ordered by the Trump administration, constituted the most brutal and direct military assault on a sovereign state in the region in recent memory. In a shocking operation that left hundreds dead, President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores were illegally kidnapped from Venezuelan soil and transported to the United States, where they now face fabricated charges in a New York federal detention facility. In the two months since this act of war, a torrent of speculation has emerged from so-called experts and pundits across the political spectrum. This has followed three main lines: One . The operation’s success indicated treason at the highest levels of the Bolivarian Revolution. Two . Acting President Delcy Rodríguez and the remaining leadership have abandone...

The selective memory of a violent city: Uttam Nagar and the invisible victims of Delhi

By Sunil Kumar* Hundreds of murders take place in Delhi every year, yet only a few incidents become topics of nationwide discussion. The question is: why does this happen? Today, the incident in Uttam Nagar has become the centre of national debate. A 26-year-old man, Tarun Kumar, was killed following a dispute that reportedly began after a balloon hit a small child. In several colonies of Delhi, slogans such as “Jai Shri Ram” and “Vande Mataram” are being raised while demanding the death penalty for Tarun’s killers. As a result, nearly 50,000 residents of Hastsal JJ Colony are now living in what resembles a state of confinement.

The price of silence: Why Modi won’t follow Shastri, appeal for sacrifice

By Arundhati Dhuru, Sandeep Pandey* In 1965, as India grappled with war and a crippling food crisis, Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri faced a United States that used wheat shipments under the PL-480 agreement as a lever to dictate Indian foreign policy. Shastri’s response remains legendary: he appealed to the nation to skip one meal a day. Millions of middle-class households complied, choosing temporary hunger over the sacrifice of national dignity. Today, India faces a modern equivalent in the energy sector, yet the leadership’s response stands in stark contrast to that era of self-reliance.

Love letters in a lifelong war: Babusha Kohli’s resistance in verse

By Ravi Ranjan* “War does not determine who is right—only who is left.” Bertrand Russell’s words echo hauntingly in our times, and few contemporary Hindi poets embody this truth as profoundly as Babusha Kohli. Emerging from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Kohli has carved a unique space in literature by weaving together tenderness, protest, and philosophy across poetry, prose, and cinema. Her work is not merely artistic expression—it is resistance, refuge, and a call for peace.

Search This Blog