Wednesday, Nov 06, 2002
Wednesday, Nov 06, 2002 |
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Tamil Nadu
By R.K. Radhakrishnan
In the morning, second-rung leaders were not too sure of what the meeting held for their parties in the immediate future and also wondered about the timing— more than a hundred days after Mr.Vaiko was arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. By evening, each was putting a new spin on the meet. Mr. Karunanidhi himself did not apparently reveal his plan till late last evening, and reportedly took partymen in his inner circle by surprise. His decision came after Mr.Vaiko's wife and son called on the ailing Union Minister, Murasoli Maran, at the Apollo Hospitals here. Soon after, began a process of setting the stage for the high-level visit, with meetings at the lower levels, followed by a senior leader, Durai Murugan, calling on Mr.Vaiko, about 10 days ago. All through the series of meetings, the DMK maintained that there was no politics in the decision to call on the MDMK leader— only an expression of solidarity with a jailed Opposition leader and a return of `courtesy'. A couple of DMK leaders, arguing that there was no election and hence no urgency, felt that today's meeting was a ``kind gesture'' on the part of their leader. ``He (Mr. Karunanidhi) did not hold against the MDMK leader the fact that Mr. Vaiko did not visit him when he was jailed,'' said a former Minister. Leaders of the MDMK felt that the meeting could be part of a strategy to strengthen the DMK-led front and also create confusion among the rank and file of the MDMK. No MDMK leader met Mr.Vaiko today, and hence, they would wait until after they heard from him on Wednesday, when he is scheduled to appear in a Mayiladuturai court. The BJP sought to look at Mr. Karunanidhi's visit as merely an act of one ally meeting another. Its president, M. Venkaiah Naidu, who was in the city, said both the DMK and the MDMK were NDA constituents and hence there was nothing more to read into it. But the perceived inaction on the part of the Central NDA leadership and lack of concern shown by the State BJP leaders in reassuring the DMK and the MDMK, at critical points of time, have only taken the two Dravidian parties farther from the BJP. The DMK made a host of demands after the arrest of Mr. Karunanidhi, and most of these were not given anything more than a patient hearing. The BJP is also perceived as having done little to get the MDMK leader out of jail. At the same time, State level functionaries and even national leaders have been praising the AIADMK Government on various occasions; the latest shower of praise was over the law banning forced conversions. With the BJP having taken such a stand both the Dravidian parties are feeling uncomfortable. However, this discomfort alone is not enough to bring both the parties closer. But the fact that the DMK has begun a process of consolidating the Opposition on issues presented by the AIADMK Government, including price rise and the anti-conversion law, is seen as a reason for Mr. Karunanidhi to travel the extra mile. The curious part of today's meeting is that it came at a time when the DMK is consciously trying to distance itself from the LTTE and the past actions of Tamil Tigers. Mr.Vaiko is in jail for a pro-LTTE speech.
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