RIP Karunanidhi: A man of letters and a script writer, who wrote Tamil Nadu’s destiny
Chennai, Aug 8: As a script writer he would have lived a life of obscurity in the shadows of film stars who enjoy cult status in Tamil Nadu.
But sharp-tongued, quick-witted M Karunanidhi had other plans. He outshone many a celebrity, as he presided over the destiny of the Dravidian state along with his tinsel town co-travellers and arch rivals in politics--M G Ramachandran and his protegee J Jayalalithaa-- for decades.
That
art
and
politics
blended
seamlessly
in
Karunanidhi
was
manifest
from
the
sobriquets
of
'Thalaivar'
(The
Leader)
and
'Kalaignar'
(The
Artist)
he
earned
from
ardent
followers
A
masterful
practitioner
of
modern-day
politics,
he
wielded
considerable
influence
beyond
his
own
state,
in
the
corridors
of
power
in
New
Delhi,
for
a
long
time,
sewing
up
alliances
with
both
the
Congress
and
the
BJP,
often
drawing
criticism
from
his
rivals,
who
called
him
an
opportunist.
Muthuvel Karunanidhi, who became the chief minister five times, cut his teeth in politics as a 14-year-old when he participated in the anti-Hindi agitation in 1938 at his native Tiruvarur.
Hugely influenced by the rationalist and egalitarian ideology of E V Ramasamy 'Periyar' and DMK founder and the state's first chief minister C N Annadurai, Karunanidhi became one of the most enduring mascots of the Dravidian Movement, which aimed at seeking equal rights for the depressed sections and women, and was against Brahminism.
Elected to the Legislative Assembly 13 times, Karunanidhi, a political artiste, outmanoeuvred V R Nedunchezhian to become the chief minister for the first time following the death of Annadurai in February 1969.
M G Ramachandran, his junior and one of the most charismatic actors of his time, supported Karunanidhi in his endeavour to edge past Nedunchezhian, who was the number two in the Annadurai cabinet.
Years later, the two were to part ways, with MGR, as Ramachandran was popularly called, forming the AIADMK, the party which was to become a perennial thorn in Karunanidhi's side.
Karunanidhi was a legislator for six decades since 1957, when he won for the first time from Kulithalai constituency, till 2016, when he emerged victorious from Tiruvarur as a 92-year-old, barring the period between 1986 and 1989.
In
1984,
he
was
elected
to
the
Legislative
Council,
which
was
abolished
by
the
MGR
government
in
1986.
He
had
resigned
as
MLA
in
1983
over
the
Srilankan
Tamils
issue
After
assuming
the
reins
of
the
government,
Karunanidhi
became
the
DMK
chief
in
July
1969,
a
post
that
he
held
till
death.
He again became the chief minister in 1971, 1989, 1996 and 2006. When he lost power to friend-turned-foe MGR's protegee Jayalalithaa in 2011, he famously quipped "people have given me some rest".
Addressed as Mu Ka, Tamil abbreviation of his name, by his peers, Karunanidhi's letters to DMK cadres in party mouthpiece Murasoli and his autobiography-cum-commentary on contemporary politics Nenjukku Needhi, are the favourite reading material for his supporters.
Karunanidhi's famous line "En uyirinum melana kazhaga udanpirappugaley (my dear brothers in party who are are above my life)," in his unmistakable baritone, used to send DMK workers into raptures.
Alongside Annadurai, who also had film and theatre background, Karunanidhi used the medium for furthering his political ideology.
Incidentally, the screenplay and dialogue for MGR's debut movie as hero 'Rajakumari' was written by him. He also wrote the dialogues for 'Parasakthi', the debut film of another tinsel town icon Sivaji Ganesan. The movie propagated the socialist and rationalist ideals of the Dravidian Movement
While MGR rose to become one of the most popular public figures in Tamil Nadu's history, Ganesan dabbled in politics but faded from the scene quickly
Karunanidhi penned screenplays and dialogues for over 50 movies. He also wrote the stories of some of them like Marudanattu Ilavarasi (1950) Mandiri Kumari (1950), Tirumbipar (1953), Arasilangkumari (1961)
A big political jolt for Karunanidhi came when MGR rebelled against him in 1972, accusing him of corruption and demanding details of the party's finances. MGR was expelled from the party the same year, and he floated the AIADMK, an event that marked the advent of bipolar politics in Tamil Nadu
MGR led AIADMK to victory in the party's debut Assembly polls in 1977, and in 1980 and 1985. He was the chief minister till his death in 1987, forcing Karunanidhi to cool his heels in the opposition as long as he helmed the state
Karunanidhi was back in power in 1989, only to lose to J Jayalalithaa, MGR's protegee, in 1991. He led DMK to victory in 1996, but AIADMK under Jayalalithaa trumped his party once again in 2001
The
Thalaivar
struck
back,
wresting
power
from
her
in
2006,
but
the
DMK
lost
successive
Assembly
polls
in
2011
and
2015
to
the
AIADMK
under
a
charismatic
Jayalalithaa
Proving
true
the
adage
that
there
are
no
permanent
friends
or
foes
in
politics,
Karunanidhi,
who
denounced
the
Emergency
imposed
by
Indira
Gandhi
in
1975,
formed
alliances
with
the
Congress
several
times,
and
the
UPA
government
had
several
ministers
from
the
DMK.
The
DMK
was
also
a
constituent
of
the
BJP-led
NDA
and
had
ministers
in
the
Atal
Bihari
Vajpayee
cabinet
The DMK had walked out of the UPA 2 in 2013 over its "soft stand" on the atrocities on Sri Lankan Tamils in the United Nations.
The Dravidian party wanted a strongly-worded resolution to be passed at the United Nations Human Rights Council, with inclusion of expressions like "genocide" and "war crimes", while seeking an international probe against Sri Lanka over persecution of Tamils in that country.
The UPA government, however, survived with the outside support of the Samajwadi Party and Mayawati's BSP.
Karunanidhi suffered a personal jolt when his MP daughter Kanimozhi got embroiled in the 2G spectrum scam along with union minister and DMK leader A Raja.
In 1980, when he joined hands with the Congress, he exuded warmth for Indira Gandhi with his remark, "Nehruvin Magale Varuga, Nilayana atchi tharuga (welcome, the daughter of Nehru, give us good governance)."
The comment encapsulated the intrinsic resilience of the master political craftsman who saw opportunity in every adversity.
( With agency inputs)