KALAIGNAR BOWS OUT: End of an idol, end of an era

It was natural for a nonagenarian to stay away from active politics at their age. On the contrary, the people of Tamil Nadu and several political party leaders missed the absence of DMK president Muthuvel Karunanidhi considering the political instability in the state — especially after the demise of his arch-rival and AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalithaa in December 2016. That was the impact he has created on Tamil Nadu politics in his eight-decades-long political career.

Karunanidhi, the man who shaped and controlled the political narrative of Tamil Nadu, whether in or out of power over several decades, died on Tuesday at the age of 94.

A five-term chief minister and a 13-time MLA since 1957, he never lost an election he contested. Days before his death, he completed 49 years as the DMK chief.

In his career spanning 80 years, he wore different hats a student leader, scriptwriter, orator and politician.

Karunanidhi, a school drop out, began his political life at the age of 14 when he started a handwritten newspaper called Manavar Nesan. He then founded Tamil Nadu Tamil Manavar Mandram which was the first student movement of the Dravidian movement.

He began his public life working under social reformer Periyar EV Ramasamy, but cast his lot with CN Annadurai when he founded the DMK in 1949. Since then, he has never looked back, though his six-decade-long political stint was full of thorns.

Known for his shrewdness and manoeuvring abilities, Karunanidhi became Chief Minister for the first time on February 10, 1967, after the death of Annadurai.

Movies to propagate the Dravidian ideology

Like his mentor Annadurai, Karunanidhi used his writing skills to further the ideology of the Dravidian movement through Tamil cinema.

His sharp dialogues and screenplay in Parasakthi (1952) made the movie a trendsetter in Tamil cinema. The movie also introduced two stars Sivaji Ganesan and SS Rajendran. The movie faced several obstacles as it contained criticism of Brahminism. His stint in film world help establishes a close friendship with MGR who was a fledgeling actor.

Striking political alliance

Karunanidhi had the unique ability to convert challenges into opportunities. When Indira Gandhi faced a rebellion within her Congress party during 1969, he asked all his 25 DMK MPs to stand by her. In 1971, he dissolved the State Assembly when Gandhi dissolved the Lok Sabha for simultaneous polling. His strategy brought him rich dividends and the DMK won an unprecedented 184 seats, a record in the state.

However, Karunanidhi firmly opposed the Emergency declared by Gandhi and even gave asylum to leaders like George Fernandes, who were wanted by the Centre in the Baroda Dynamite Case.

When he saw a threat to his position in the party, he suspended MGR, the party treasurer, a move that boomeranged. MGR who founded AIADMK won three successive State elections from 1977 and sent Karunanidhi to a political vanvas of 13 years till his death. To his credit, Karunanidhi kept the party intact for the 13 long years in the Opposition fighting against a charismatic leader like MGR.

Biggest political blunder

The biggest blot in Karunanidhi's political life was his decision to support the BJP-led government at the centre in 1999 when Jayalalithaa withdrew her support. DMK with its anti-Brahmin, anti-Hindutva ideology aligned with the BJP, widely perceived as a north-based upper caste party of Hindi-speakers. Karunanidhi's defence was that Jayalalithaa's "corruption was more dangerous than communalism".

DMK remained in the BJP alliance till December 2003. In 2004 Lok Sabha polls, DMK floated a rainbow alliance with the Congress and won all the 40 seats in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. DMK remained in the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre till March 2013.

Corruption charges

In his long political career, if there could be one single issue that has continued to trouble Karunanidhi and his party, politically, it is corruption charges. Right from the Sarkaria Commission's indictment in the late 1970s to the infamous 2G Spectrum scam that saw partyman A Raja and daughter Kanimozhi in jail. Though CBI Special Court acquitted Raja, Kanimozhi and all others in the 2G case, the DMK paid a big political price and lost election after election since 2011.

Family Politics

For Karunanidhi, the promotion of his sons in politics, as well as cinema, remained his weakness. His attempt to promote his eldest son Muthu, born of his first wife Padmavati, in cinema proved very costly. Muthu who idolised MGR failed miserably, but ended up making the star politician bitter. MGR who was still in DMK did not take his close friend Karunanidhi's action lightly and this affected their relationship leading to his expulsion from the party.

Stalin who founded party's youth wing was politically most active of Karunanidhi's four sons. Karunanidhi made Stalin as Chennai Mayor in 1996 and inducted him in his cabinet in 2006. His Madurai-based son Alagiri who had several run-ins with Stalin was expelled from the party in 2014. Kanimozhi who Karunanidhi declared as his literary heir is a second term Rajya Sabha MP and DMK's women wing secretary.

TOP  HIGHLIGHTS

AFTERMATH

• The Tamil Nadu government announced a public holiday on Wednesday. 
   
• The state will observe a seven-day mourning as a mark of respect for the former chief minister. 
   
• Puducherry Government has declared a holiday on Wednesday and has announced three-day mourning

Loved by Tamilian people, Kalaignar strode the stage of Tamil politics, like a colossus, for over 6 decades. 
Rahul Gandhi, Congress president

Loved by Tamilian people, Kalaignar strode the stage of Tamil politics, like a colossus, for over 6 decades. 
Rahul Gandhi, Congress president

Tamil Nadu has lost one of its illustrious sons, a doyen amongst political leaders of the State, a Tamil genius. 
Kiran Bedi, Pondicherry L-G

TO BE BURIED IN TRADEMARK ATTIRE: Karunanidhi’s mortal remains would be buried along with his trademark sunglass, watch and yellow shawl as per the Dravidian culture on Wednesday evening.

TOP TWEETS

Nitin Gadkari 
@nitin_gadkari
Saddened to know about the demise of Thiru M.Karunanidhi. May His soul rest in peace. My deepest condolences to the people of Tamil Nadu.

Devendra Fadnavis 
@Dev_Fadnavis
Pained to hear about the sudden demise of Shri Karunanidhiji. He was most popular leader in Tamil Nadu’s politics. My heartfelt tributes to the great leader.

Vijay Rupani 
@vijayrupanibjp
Deeply saddened by the passing away of Kalaignar M Karunanidhi, former Chief Minister Of Tamil Nadu. I pray for his soul to attain eternal peace. My condolences to his family.

Arvind Kejriwal
@arvindkejriwal
Feel v sad to hear about the demise of this great leader. May his soul rest in peace. Its a great loss to the nation.

Vasundhara Raje
@VASUNDHARABJP
Deeply saddened by the passing of #MKarunanidhi ji. The Dravidian patriarch’s death is a loss for the Indian democracy.

TOP TRIVIA

For women’s rights 
Karunanidhi is the one who brought a law giving women the rights to claim share in the ancestral property, equal to men in the state. It was even before the Indian government passed a law at the Centre.

Not just politics, but also movies & literature 
He started his career as a screenwriter in the Tamil film industry. Through the movie ‘Parasakthi’ his political ideas were propagated. He wrote numerous screenplays as well as books. He received Raja Rajan Award from Tamil University for his book Thenpandi Singam.

The sole opposition to Emergency imposition 
He was also the only leader who opposed Indira Gandhi when she imposed a Emergency in the country. As a result of his opposition, Gandhi had dismissed the then DMK  government in the state. Many leaders were jailed during this, but he continued his opposition.

BIG CONTROVERSIES

FAMILY MATTERS: 
He suspended his elder son and former union minister MK Alagiri from the party’s primary membership intervening dramatically in the tussle between Alagiri and his younger brother MK Stalin. 

AMMA VS KALAIGNAR: 
The rivalry stemmed in 1989 when Jayalalithaa accused the DMK of harassing her. Karunanidhi retorted with a reportedly unfavourable remark that made Amma furious and caused a ruckus in the Assembly.