Chennai: In April last year, police officer-turned-politician K. Annamalai, head of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Tamil Nadu unit, was addressing a press conference ahead of his “major exposé” — a series of documents, audio and video clips that were allegedly evidence of the “corrupt deeds” of chief minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president M.K. Stalin and his family members.
Over a year later, at an event Sunday that was part of the birth centenary celebrations of Stalin’s late father and DMK patriarch K. Karunanidhi, the Tamil Nadu CM warmly called out to Annamalai to join him near Karunanidhi’s memorial in Chennai.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi showered praises on Karunanidhi as did Union minister Rajnath Singh, while Stalin accepted the glowing words, hailing the praise as “more elegant” than the words used by the DMK cadre for the late former CM.
While Sunday’s bonhomie between bitter rivals DMK and BJP raised eyebrows, the incident was hardly the first.
This very month, there have been at least two other occasions where DMK and BJP leaders have set their political enmity aside and put on a show of camaraderie.
On the record, both sides maintain that politics and personal relations are different. But political analysts say there’s more to it than meets the eye.
These events, they say, are signs of a possible truce to serve the individual political goals of both parties. While the DMK is looking to keep regional rival AIADMK at bay in Tamil Nadu and strengthen Udhayanidhi’s position as Stalin’s successor, the BJP is also looking to keep the AIADMK at bay and cement its position as the number two party in the southern state’s political landscape.
The two parties, which have been allies in the past, may also be keeping doors open for a potential tie-up in the future, according to the analysts.
“The DMK wants to run the state free from any hindrances and wants to establish (Stalin’s son) Udhayanidhi as the successor. The BJP, which is fighting for the second place, has used the opportunity,” said Raveendran Duraisamy, a political commentator.
A senior BJP leader, who did not want to be named, admitted while speaking to ThePrint that there may be more to it than meets the eye.
“It looks like an understanding to not disturb Stalin’s son Udhayanidhi. A lot of cases were filed against him for his remarks on Sanatana Dharma and all the cases are clubbed together. The matter would definitely come up for trial. In such a situation, both of us (DMK and BJP) are preparing ground for the 2026 assembly elections, and the DMK does not want the BJP to disturb Udhayanidhi’s political career,” the leader said.
Also Read: Governorships to NCW, Modi govt’s giving Tamil Nadu BJP leaders key posts. What it signals
It all started on 9 August
While most people saw only Annamalai rub shoulders with DMK leaders Sunday, it was BJP women’s wing national president and MLA Vanathi Srinivasan who first spoke to Stalin earlier this month.
Vanathi was seen speaking to the CM on 9 August when he was in Coimbatore to inaugurate a series of infrastructure projects in the district.
After the meeting, she told the media that it was an official conversation and Stalin had invited her for the commemorative coin release event Sunday as part of Karunanidhi’s birth centenary celebrations this year.
While Vanathi downplayed the meeting as official, Annamalai told the media he would attend the coin release event as he had been invited with “love and respect”.
Though Annamalai tried to downplay his participation, the DMK in the following days changed its stand about not participating in the Independence Day tea party hosted by Governor R.N. Ravi.
On 14 August, DMK organising secretary R.S. Bharathi had announced that the party would boycott the governor’s customary tea function, alleging that he was against the values of the DMK-led state government.
But the next day, Stalin along with his ministers Durai Murugan and Thangam Thennarasu participated in the tea party and rubbed shoulders with the BJP leaders there.
At the function, senior ministers, including finance minister Thennarasu, were seen having an apparently casual and friendly conversation with Annamalai.
Soon after the event, law minister S. Regupathy said the participation was from the government front and not from the party front.
However, on Sunday, even before Rajnath Singh arrived in Chennai for the coin commemoration event, Modi sent out a message praising Karunanidhi.
I wholeheartedly thank Hon’ble Prime Minister Thiru. @narendramodi avl. for his kind wishes and support for the grand success of the Muthamizh Arignar Kalaignar Centenary Commemorative Coin release ceremony. pic.twitter.com/DBpwHN9Cgz
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) August 18, 2024
According to political commentator A. Mani, the PM’s praise was not without political calculation.
“PM Narendra Modi doesn’t do anything apolitical. Lacking a majority on its own in Parliament, the BJP is desperately scouting for new alliance partners, and the actions of BJP leaders at the Centre and state level look like they are eyeing the DMK as a potential ally to support the central government if it falls in a crisis,” he said.
Before reaching the venue, Singh along with Union Minister of State L. Murugan and Annamalai visited Karunanidhi memorial at Marina Beach along with DMK leaders. While Rajnath and Murugan were standing at the front, Annamalai was seen standing behind DMK leaders Kanimozhi and others. Stalin, when he noticed this, invited Annamalai to stand in the front row as a gesture of respect.
Upon releasing the commemorative coin, Singh praised the former Tamil Nadu CM as a “legendary figure in Indian politics” who emerged as a leader in the 1960s.
Duraisamy said the BJP has always taken its cue from the DMK.
“It was Stalin who pitched (the idea) that the fight is between the (opposition) INDIA bloc and the (ruling BJP-led) NDA. It is an opportunity for the BJP to make use of. They acknowledged the DMK’s invite (for Sunday) and made use of it to posture themselves as the second party next to the DMK, sidelining the AIADMK,” he explained.
Political commentator Sigamani Thirupathi also believes the BJP’s participation was a tactic to create an image that the party valued Tamilians and Tamil leaders.
“They are now looking to consolidate their position as the second (key) party in Tamil Nadu. When the AIADMK was the ruling party (in the state) and had released a coin, they invited the DMK, which was the opposition party. Now, by accepting the DMK’s invitation, the BJP wants to show itself as the opposition party,” he said.
‘People could not stomach praise for Kalaignar’
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami termed it a “secret alliance” between the DMK and BJP.
On Monday, Stalin responded to this by saying that people were not able to stomach the praise for Karunanidhi.
“He (Rajnath Singh) does not have any necessity to praise Kalaignar. But, he spoke from the bottom of his heart. He praised Kalaignar more elegantly than a DMK cadre,” the CM said at a marriage event in Chennai.
Speaking to ThePrint, Tamil Nadu BJP vice-president Narayanan Thirupathy said the party still does not accept the views and ideologies of the DMK but had participated in the commemoration event as it was a central government function, just like how Stalin had participated in the Independence Day tea party hosted by the governor.
According to DMK leader A. Raja, the party was just following in the footsteps of Karunanidhi.
“As our leader (Karunanidhi) has said, we would give hands for relationships and would raise our voice for our rights,” Raja, deputy general secretary of the DMK, told ThePrint.
Palaniswami also termed the bonhomie a “secret alliance” since the DMK did not invite Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to Sunday’s event.
“It shows they are using the Congress for their welfare and abandoning them in such instances,” Palaniswami said Sunday morning.
On Monday, however, Stalin clarified that they were not able to invite Rahul Gandhi since it was a central government event.
“It is unfortunate to have such an opposition leader (Palaniswami) who does not even know the difference between a party event and a central government event,” Stalin said at the marriage function.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
Also Read: MK Stalin calls for united Opposition against BJP & its ‘gross discrimination’ at his ‘social justice’ meeting