The estranged DMK M.P. spoke about party's corrupt image & predicted its downfall; criticised ‘freebies'; praised Rahul Gandhi; was ‘very downbeat' about United Progressive Alliance's electoral prospects
In a candid conversation with the American Political Officer in February 2008, DMK Member of Parliament Dayanidhi Maran spoke of corruption in his party and the increasing anti-incumbency factor in Tamil Nadu.
Consul General David T. Hopper, in a cable dated February 23, 2008 accessed by The Hindu through WikiLeaks [142702: confidential], informed the U.S. State Department that Mr. Maran predicted that in Tamil Nadu the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and its partners “would lose about half of their [Lok Sabha] seats if things continue as they are.” Further, “talking about the increasing anti-incumbency factor in the state, Maran alluded to the general impression that the DMK is especially corrupt, saying ‘when people get into power they lose concentration and start focusing on making money.'”
The cable, which was coordinated with the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, explains that on February 15, 2008 the Political Officer at the Chennai Consulate-General met with Mr. Maran “for the first time since he was sacked in May 2007 as the Union IT and Telecommunications Minister following a dispute with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK patriarch M. Karunanidhi.”
Mr. Maran also spoke about the perils of providing freebies. “The problem when you come to power by promising people free TVs,” he is quoted as saying during the meeting, “is that people soon forget the TVs you gave them and then ask ‘what are you doing for me now?'”
Mr. Hopper reported the estranged DMK M.P., who is now back as Union Textiles Minister, as being “very downbeat” about the United Progressive Alliance's prospects in the 15th Lok Sabha election, observing that “the UPA is in tough shape, especially after Gujarat.” Surveying South India, Mr. Maran also “expected significant losses for the UPA partners.” He was “pessimistic” about the Congress's prospects in Andhra Pradesh, “saying Chief Minister YSR Reddy's popularity is on the decline and that he expects Congress to lose a substantial number of the 29 Lok Sabha seats it currently holds. But he was quick to add that in both Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu the UPA's predicted losses stem from failures of the DMK and Congress parties and not from effective opposition.”
The Chennai consulate cable reported Mr. Maran as going on to assert that “the opposition AIADMK in Tamil Nadu and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh have floundered” and that “any UPA losses will have ‘nothing to do with Jayalalithaa (the AIADMK leader) or Naidu (the TDP leader).'” Further, he “acknowledged that the INC would likely pick up seats in Kerala at the expense of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) but said the gains would not be nearly enough to offset UPA losses in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.”
Mr. Hopper, the experienced diplomat, noted that Mr. Maran's falling out with the DMK leadership was in part due to financial reasons, and so “his swipe at DMK corruption, although largely accurate, reflects some sour grapes.” Moreover, the Consul General pointed out in the cable, when in favour with DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, “Maran joined in the TV and other give-away schemes that helped the DMK win the 2006 state elections.”
Interestingly, while the DMK M.P. was scathing about the DMK, he was all praise for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, arguing that the Congress party needed to name him as its prime ministerial candidate for the 2009 Lok Sabha election. Although he recognised that it would be a long shot, Mr. Maran contended that “Rahul is the only chance they've got.”
Rahul, Mr. Maran added, would benefit from the legacy of his father Rajiv Gandhi's popularity in South India. The dynastic element of Rahul's elevation would play well down south, he remarked. “If you haven't noticed, we don't have much of a problem with dynastic politics down here. In fact, we seem to like it.”
The cable also reported Mr. Maran as saying that projecting Rahul as the Congress's candidate could help motivate young voters, but he was being held back by his handlers, who were managing him too closely and keeping him cloistered. “Rahul's big problem, Maran said, is that ‘he doesn't get to see real people.'”
Consul-General Hopper, too sharp not to detect a subjective element in the insights provided by Mr. Maran on Mr. Rahul Gandhi, supplied this comment towards the end of the cable: “His views on the likelihood of Rahul Gandhi taking the reins in Congress are perhaps colored by his view of himself as part of a new breed of young Indian politicians, playing a similar role in Tamil Nadu's DMK as Rahul does for the Congress party. To the extent he sees Rahul going places, he is seeing a brighter future for himself too.”
By December 1, 2008, Mr. Maran was back in the DMK fold and in his grand-uncle M. Karunanidhi's favour. When it came to the 2009 Lok Sabha election, his prediction was off on Tamil Nadu where money power played a huge role – and the DMK bagged 18 seats against the AIADMK's 9, and the DMK front bagged 27 against the rival front's 12. Mr. Maran's “pessimism” was way off on Andhra Pradesh where the Congress, led by a hugely popular YSR, took 33 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats. He completely misread the role of the AIADMK leader, Ms Jayalalithaa, in creating the groundswell that was in its early phases in mid-2009. But his prediction that the DMK was heading for a downfall on account of the corruption issue came true with a vengeance in the Tamil Nadu Assembly election of mid-2011.
This article has been corrected for a factual error
Comments:
In decent countries, people take to politics to serve the people and to bring about improvement in the life of their fellow country men and the country at large. It is disappointing to see that in Indian democracy, politicians take to the profession with the sole intention to stuff their pockets and leave inheritance to their heirs. Improving the country and the peoples' life becomes a faint memory for them! Unashamedly and openly they bribe the voters to come to power and this is another strange thing one can see in India that goes unchallenged!
Interesting .. "The problem when you come to power by promising people free TVs,is that people soon forget the TVs you gave them and then ask 'what are you doing for me now?'"
Well actually the problem is it destroys ( & has destroyed) the very foundation of democracy. Ofcourse being a busy parliamentarian Maran wouldnt have time to know all that... .
People come to power to rule the country not as a servant but as "MIGHT IS MY RIGHT" and make money preparing for the next election. Dayanidhi's observation is correct. Now the things are little changing gradually. Things will definitely change faster if the media becomes still bold and impartial.
This is the sorry state of our media. When we talk about transparency and courageousness in journalism, The Hindu should not have waited to post this till Jaya took the post. Pity Hindu.
People like Dynastic politics? Not any more, Sir.
As we all know that there was dramatic improvement in the field of Telecom until Mr.Dayanidhi was a telecom minister.Due to selfish attitude within the party led to their downfall.
Maran has said the truth and only partly. He did excessive favours to his and his brother's suntv network when he was telecom minister which was felt dangerous to DMK for future with out even TV channel and no way DMK can make money keeping him at center. Maran cannot escape from scam as he too did make money during his period which was raised by jayalalitha to cbi. he became approver at that time and has to face CBI one day for the scam of his period and bribing his grandmother 300 crore for ministry post of textile again. It is time to see that the whole family including kalanidhi oneday to face CBI.
True, every Indian literate, especially in Tamilnadu will understand and that is why the Assembly results have come like this.
Maran's views about the Indian politics are not anything new that came out of any painstaking objective political science research. However, one can see with disdain and disappointment that how our educated Indian upper and middle class elites (academe, politicians & media etc) have a fondness to impress the west by talking down India to please the neo-colonials. This observation is in no way condoning the sorry state of affairs that prevail all over India but blaming the politicians alone not going to make anything to change. On the whole the Indian psyche is moulded to accept this low down lifestyle and shackled to corruption for generations. What India needs is a real ‘cultural revolution’ like the one China had in the sixties to stay independent. However, when a society is deeply and fanatically immersed in enlightened superstition, one wonders whether even a cultural revolution would succeed to redeem this unfortunate country.
R.J. Inbakaran-Canberra, ACT. Australia.
This opinion was given by Dayanithi Maran , when the Maran brothers were kicked off by Azhagiri.However this is true even today.
Interesting! The US envoy timed his meeting so well. Maran was expelled and hence he will give away as much info as possible out of frustration. US embassy people do their home work and justify the pay they get. Will our external affairs resources and politicians learn from these leaks, at least!
Tamilnadu assembly election results has become the trend setter for the rest of the country. People voted against the corruption. This is a warning to all Indian politicians including Ms.Jayalalithaa
Besides the fact that politicians make money when they come to power in India, and perhaps the only reason they seek political office, Mr.Maran has been wrong on everything else. DMK and Congress won handsomely in the elections in 2009. This shows that even so-called Educated Indian politicians dont have a clue about what they are talking about. Their perceptions,observations and assessment are clearly out of whack. The only reason he has the office, is that he comes from a family of politicians.
Maran has not said anything new, he has told the diplomat in private what everyone knows that people enter politics to make a quick buck. However I find Maran's comments ungreatfull here. It should be noted that whenever Sun TV was in trouble during its nascent phase it was the DMK which went out of its way to support and sustain it. I remember once Arcot Veerasamy (a DMK party man) saying that they (DMK) would not be idle if cable operators providing Sun TV connection are threatened. Sun TV functioned from Anna Arivalayam. Sun Would not have grown to a huge organization it has become without the support of Uncle Karunanidhi. DMK and Sun were one and they split because of an issue in profit sharing. Once the other Maran clarified in public about the profit sharing the 'birds' flocked together again.
DMK Chief Karunanidhi brought this Dayanidi Maran as cabinet minister with out Maran not deserving for this post. He is a businessman not the politician. Karunanidhi gave him the ministerial post just because he is the family members of Karunandi like his cousins Kanimozhi, Stalin and Alagiri.. By bringing Maran to the Minister post DMK has lost the political orientation and become a business mans party. Till the time Maran become a Minister the party had political orientation and would have definitely resigned in Sri Lanka problem. Once the business interest come forefront the political ideology has gone to the back seat.. DMK an offshoot of DK was formed for the resurgence of Tamil and Dravidan races. But now the DMK has interest in only business because of people like Maran. It is time the party should be dissolved so that Tamils can be saved from this corruption, family ruled party.
Mr Maran is right about corruption -- the problem is not people forgetting the TVs; its ministers taking thousands of crores as bribes. This culture of corruption has seeped into the national psyche ... excellence is no longer expected; people think mediocre performance coupled with bribes is enough to achieve goals. This must be changed ... Bridges can't be propped up with bribes ... you need good engineering. Diagnosis are not made with bribes. You need excellent doctors. Scientific progress is not obtained with bribes ... you need dedicated, outstanding scientists. These are the traits being neglected when corruption rules.
The Hindu waited for the opportunity to please the present rulers.It is also instigating family war.It is in bad taste. Why The Hindu should stoop to this level? To get maximum advt from new govt?
Big loss is that we are losing our national character day by day.We speak something when we are in power and post and something else when we are out. Downfall is wholesome.
Looks like he did not know what he was talking about. YSR came back to power not just in A.P but played major role in establishing a stable UPA govt at the centre. Rahul Gandhi proved to be not so effective leader as Mr. Maran predicted.
I find the tone of your reporting is as though what appears in the Wikileaks is the truth. Let us remember that this is the perception and recollection of an American official of a conversation he or she had. It could be wrong and/or biased. So, these reports should be prefaced with, 'In the perception of the American official, ...'
Mr.Maran taking high moral ground is like satan reciting the holy book..glad that people of tamil nadu have given a good verdict.
The Hindu, by publishing these leaks, will only achieve the purpose of slowly but surely disintegrating DMK. May be , this is what MK had in mind, when he said that Kanyakumari to Kashmir is trying their best to wipe out DMK. All the views expressed by him are nothing but an accepted way of life in our state politics. MK is not at all in a frame of mind to worry about these disclosures. For him, the current priority is to wriggle out his family from the clutches of the law in 2G Scam.
Please do not bring down the reputation of a serious newspaper, by a notch, by publishing such leaks which have lost their relevance. We are sure, you are not trying to make amma happy, by the timing of this publication.
DMK is a cadre based party, which has established itself, for over 7 decades. I am sure, it will rise from its ashes , having learnt a bitter lesson in the recent elections. The Generation Next will hope to take the party forward with a new mind set. Let the Old man, spend his last phase of his illustrious life, in peace and focus on writing and leave it to the younger generation.
Of all the newspapers, we do not expect The Hindu, to further demolish the weakened sppirits.
This is a belated expose by THE HINDU. Many avid readers of your newspaper would have expected this before the election but it is glaring to see The Hindu not standing up to the obvious political fallout that would have arisen had this article been published before the electoral battle.But that is the difference between a compliant publication and a courageous newspaper.People would have had wholesome praise for your journalistic fairness and for the fortitude of your editors to publish this story when the DMK was still in power.
What kind of reporting is this. Didn't the reporter see it fit to get Maran's response or comments from party leaders? Guess Indian journalism is yet to mature enough.
Ya true! But I personally feel young Indians are no longer absent-minded, that if somebody young is competing then they will be elected. Real India has started awaking!
Karunanithy also sacrificed the safety of Sri Lankan Tamils and South Indian fishermen for his own promotion. He cared less for Tamil Nadu and Tamil people as long has he gets power and money from the Congress party.
Karunanidhi supposedly called Murasoli Maran, Dayanidhi's father, his conscience. One must therefore presume that Karunanidhi's conscience died with the passing away of Murasoli Maran. Now the people of Tamil Nadu, by his own admission, have forced him into retirement. In contrast, Dayanidhi Maran seems to be conscientious as a politician. And kudos to The Hindu for being a bold conduit of such news through WikiLeaks.
What is reaction from ‘The Hindu’ news paper regarding the Condemn of Dhayanithi Maran for publishing Wikileaks content “When in power, people start making money, Maran told U.S. Political Officer” The Hindu through WikiLeaks [142702: confidential]. As an honest Indian, we expect your courageousness in journalism. We always believe that you (The Hindu) are one of the best and honest newspapers in India and we always support you.
It may be germane to probe the ill-gotten money of these Maran brothers, find their overseas accounts and perhaps try them for treason in addition to corruption.
Those who question the timing of this publication should realize that this expose, had it been published prior to the elections, could have had an adverse impact on the DMK's electoral prospects and might have become an instrument in the hands of the opposition.
a) Maran is trying to project himself as a honest, educated, young but he himself was too corupt. At least In Decomcracy,we have a choice to root out such politicians out of Power, I wish the middle east and China and Africa move towards democracy. b) Maran will be a good example of a sophesticated White collar, organised thugs who think they are just smart and powerful and the rest of general public are fools, we are not, it hurts us, if such well eduated guys loot the country. c) I have lot of hopes on liberalised India and the priviate organisations, I don't need to wait for three months to get a phone connection now. But White collar crime is more dangerous than the petty local politician or govt office taking bribes.. Its a sorry state of affairs, where increasingly large corporations are colluding with Politicians and looting the country. I wish the corporates should take some lessons for Premji of Wipro and Narayana Murthy of Infosys.. they have become rich but they have some principles and ethics which every Indian should be proud off.
Mr.Daya, a small correction.When in power people make money. When not in power they will be in Tihar
We need constitutional reforms. PM and CM must be elected direct by the people and not by MPs and MlAs. Nepotism will come down. There will be no coalision dharma. US President is respected all over the world because he is elected by the people only for two terms.
Maran cannot be talking as if he is chaste and circumstances pushed him to be corrupt. Day is not long for the law to extend its tentacle on him and he to give company to his successor in Tihar. Moreover, by coaxing Rahul, his business intention is clear that he would desert with some existing legislators and switch loyalty to cong?
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