Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president M.K. Stalin on Sunday alleged that there was a deliberate attempt by a section of his opponents to project the party as anti-God and anti-Hindu and that those who could not face the socio-economic and political ideas of the DMK were indulging in the mischievous campaign. He insisted that the BJP was a non-entity in Tamil Nadu’s politics and asserted that the DMK would work against the idea of ''one-nation, one-party and one-man'' rule of Narendra Modi. Excerpts from an interview :
What are the challenges before you as the new president of the DMK?
The post was held by Kalaignar after the demise of Perarignar Anna. I was trained by Kalaignar , who ‘borrowed’ Anna’s heart. I have been continuously working for society and to uphold the principles of the party. Kalaignar had described me as the personification of hard work. The party has given me the confidence that I can use hard work as a capital and face any challenge.
There is a feeling that the death of Karunanidhi and AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa has created a vacuum in Tamil Nadu politics. New political parties headed by actors are emerging. What is the DMK’s action plan under these circumstances?
Science says a vacuum is filled immediately. There is no vacuum in the DMK since Kalaignar has not left it with a room for assumptions. It was for the AIADMK to tell whether there was a vacuum in the party or it has been split into two after Jayalalithaa’s death.
In a new democratic country anyone can enter politics or launch a political party. No one can deny or deprive one of these rights. With the support of the people the DMK will stand, holding its head high. DMK will continue its journey of idealism while paying attention to resolve people’s problems and create slogans to coordinate people. It will be in the frontline in the struggle against the anti-people BJP and the AIADMK to expose their corruption and to advocate people’s welfare. DMK will strike the first and last blow against the anti-people governments and their rule. History has always proved it.
You have taken a stand on God in the party’s general council for the first time. Was it because you feel that it is difficult to run a campaign against God and religion especially after the BJP’s growth or are you seeking to put an end to the criticism that the DMK is anti-Hindu?
I would like to give a detailed reply. Anna proclaimed that there was “one God and one race”. He also said, “I would not break Pillaiyar , neither will I break coconut for him.” Kalaignar has reiterated this point many times. But a section deliberately suppresses these facts and seeks to portray us as atheist and anti-Hindu.
When Anna talked about God, he took a cue from Bharathiyar’s lines, “Oh ignorant! You are in search for a thousand Gods.” Kalaignar always had a non-partisan approach. He never imposed his ideas and beliefs on others. He was not against faith in God or in religion. Why should he desilt the Kapaleeswarar temple tank if he was against the faith? Would he have come forward to repair a portion of the Tiruvannamalai temple when it collapsed? Would he have taken efforts to run the Tiruvarar temple car in 1969 which remained idle for 20 years and allowed Mannai Narayanansamy, who was a minister in his cabinet, to participate in it?
Just listen to what Kalaignar had said about the Hindus: “If everyone followed the tenets of Hinduism, as preached by Vivekananda, nothing could be greater than it. I am not against it. Since Muslims and Christians are minorities we have to support them to instil confidence among them. At the same time it is wrong not to support the Hindus because they are a majority.”
When I spoke about God, I kept in mind the ideas of Anna and Kalaignar . The DMK has never preached against the God and religion as you assume.
Those who could not directly face the socio, economic and political ideas of the DMK indulge in a mischievous campaign that the party is against God and Hindus. Kalaignar has always respected faiths and beliefs of people of all religions. DMK has campaigned against those who propagate communalism and fundamentalism with a view to destroying pluralism and communal harmony and seek to divide the nation. It will do it in the future also.
I can only laugh at your suggestion that the BJP has grown. You ask neutral people to find out whether it is growing or declining.
National leaders who participated in Karunanidhi’s memorial meeting pointed out your place in national politics and requested you to take the lead. How are you going to take up the role? Do you thing that the Congress will gain strength on a par with the BJP?
All secular and democratic forces should come together as a single force to defeat the communal BJP at the Centre. I will follow the successful formulas adopted by Kalaignar in the past. There are national and regional parties and we have to ensure that their votes are not frittered away. I will take all efforts to bring together all parties under the slogan ‘Defeat BJP, Destroy Fascism’ to protect the pluralism of the country and rights of the states and languages. There are many nationalities, many cultures and customs. The question is whether we need one or many? Progressive forces should work unitedly to find an answer.
On the one hand you castigate the BJP and on the other you invited BJP leaders for Kalaignar ’s memorial meeting. Are you keeping a door open for the BJP? Are you planning to use the situation in favour of the DMK if no party gains majority after the Lok Sabha polls?
It is inappropriate to assume that the DMK is keeping the door open just because the BJP leaders participated in the meeting. When Kalaignar was not well, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu visited him and Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage after his demise. That was why we invited the BJP leaders. It is our culture and you cannot belittle it by giving a political colour.
When former Prime Minister Vajpayee died I visited Delhi to pay my homage. Party MPs Kanimozhi, T.R. Baalu and Tiruchi Siva accompanied me. Another MP Alandur R.S. Bharathi took part in the memorial meeting of Vajpayee. There is not even an iota of politics.
Some people are sowing imaginary stories in media and public forum with a motive of bring the BJP and the DMK together. They will never become a reality. DMK will always oppose the BJP’s communalism and fascist approach.
Do you think that the AIADMK government will complete its tenure?
People do not think that there is a government. I share their opinion. They are running the government like a private sector company in Fort St George to make money and creating benami companies to drain the state’s coffer. There is a competition among the ministers on swindling and the state is witnessing a negative growth in all sectors. Every voter is affected by the government one way or the other and people want its tenure to come to an end.
You blame the BJP for protecting the AIADMK government. But Central agencies including the CBI, Income Tax Department and Enforcement Directorate are conducting raids on ministers and officials…
Credible organisations like the CBI, Income Tax and Enforcement Directorate are being used with clear political motives. The raids are dramas and are meant to threaten the AIADMK government. Only time will tell whether the raids are aimed at splitting the AIADMK or to bring them together for the purpose of electoral alliance or to pacify the people who are angry with the state government and to create an impression that the BJP was functioning in an impartial manner. Only raids are conducted and there is no further action. No case has been filed and none has been arrested. The central agencies are losing their credibility. That is why I call the raids an eye wash.
It seems that the DMK is weak in the western Tami Nadu though it is organisationally strong elsewhere? It also led to the party’s defeat in the 2016 Assembly election. How are you going to correct the situation?
The DMK had a direct contest with the AIADMK in 172 constituencies in 2016. We won in 82 constituencies and the AIADMK lost deposit in two while we retained deposit in all the constituencies. DMK lost the elections with a narrow margin. The difference between the AIADMK and the DMK was just one per cent.
Misuse of power and money, the partiality shown by the Election Commission, “container currencies” and Karur Anbunathan’s black money denied the DMK its victory. The party is as strong in the western region as it is in other parts.
Erode is the land where Anna stayed and campaigned for the movement. Erode is in the western region where Kalaignar worked for Kudiyarsu and the movement. Kalaignar stayed with his family in Singanallur in Coimbatore and Salem and worked for the film world and party and they are part of the western districts. The seeds of the movement were perfectly sowed in the sand. Their roots have grown deep and have a healthy growth. If you had attended the DMK’s Erode regional conference you would have realised the strength of the organisation.
Your son Udhyanidhi has entered politics? How do you see it?
He has not entered politics just now. He has always been in politics. If a person is in DMK, his entire family is part of the party. The DMK comprises lakhs of families. If you study the party closely you can find from grandfather to great-grandson, all of them were members of the party. DMK is like a banana plant constantly producing saplings for the organisation. So if a son and father are part of the party there is nothing surprising.
The proponents of Tamil Nationalism are targeting the Dravidian Movement…
I do not know whether they have understood Tamil Nationalism and Dravidian Nationalism. I have reason to believe both are the same. Periyar often used the words Tamil and Dravida in a sense that they are interchangeable. Both convey the same meaning and scholars have proved it through research.
It was the DMK that first coined the slogan “Tamil Nadu is for Tamils” and renamed the Madras Presidency as Tamil Nadu. When there was an attempt to create Dakshina Pradesh by bringing together the southern states, the DMK opposed the move. C.P. Aditanar, who was accepted by the Tamil Nationalists, joined the DMK and became a minister and Speaker. Ma.Po.Si (Sivagnanam) was elected to the Legislative Council and became its chairman. Are Tamil Nationalists not aware of these facts?
When epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata were propagated, it was Anna and Kalaignar who spread the messages of 2,000-years old Tamil sangam literature and Thirukural among the Tamils. Kalaignar created Valluvar Kottam in the capital and installed the statue for Thiruvalluvar in the southern tip of the land in Kanniyakumari. Dravidian Movement has been acknowledged by people and thrived in Tamil Nadu. It has the energy and is wise enough to face any challenge. It will continue to travel in the path of success. No force can offer political and ideological alternative to the Dravidian movement. There is so sign that such a force will be born in the future.
I do not know who you keep in mind when talking about the Dravidian parties. The historians of the Dravidian Movement would not acknowledge the AIADMK as part of the movement. It has deviated completely from the Dravidian ideology and it is against the movement. When MGR left the DMK, he created a political party, making use of the circumstances, to oppose the party that gave him a political shape and influence.
