Ties shift: Editorial on Vijay's INDIA entry and DMK's dilemma

The Congress could have attempted to switch camps in Tamil Nadu with greater sensitivity towards the DMK. Would M.K. Stalin now consider the BJP as an alternative?

INDIA, the country's principal Opposition bloc, has made headlines more often on account of exits rather than entries. Nitish Kumar's departure from the Opposition cohort before the last general election can be cited as one example. The alliance has also been riven by internal differences. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Aam Aadmi Party share frosty ties with the Congress. So the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, helmed by the Tamil Nadu chief minister, C. Joseph Vijay, joining the Opposition platform merits a look. The arrangement would undoubtedly suit the strategies of Mr Vijay and the Congress. The TVK has no parliamentary presence; INDIA provides

Mr Vijay with a toehold on the national stage even though his prime ministerial ambitions would have to wait a while. The actor-politician may have also been goaded by the fact that the formation of a Third Front appears slim at the moment; the Bharatiya Janata Party, whose ideological tenet is in conflict with that pursued by Mr Vijay, cannot serve as the vehicle of the TVK's national aspirations either. The BJP's record of first piggyback riding on and, then, gobbling up regional allies -- Shiv Sena and the Janata Dal (United) would agree -- may have also prevented Mr Vijay from seeking that party's blessings. The Congress, which is in alliance with the TVK in Tamil Nadu, would hope to benefit from the partnership. With Mr Vijay as an official ally, the Congress's campaign against the chief election commissioner and, in effect, against the BJP over alleged infirmities in the electoral process is expected to acquire fangs in Tamil Nadu. The TVK's presence in its fold could, the Congress would be hoping, entice other regional forces to join hands with the Opposition before the big electoral test in 2029.

What would be interesting to watch though is the DMK's response to these shifting ties. The DMK, once the traditional ally of the Congress, has reasons to be cut up with its former friend. The Congress could have attempted to switch camps in Tamil Nadu with greater sensitivity towards the DMK. Would M.K. Stalin now consider the BJP as an alternative? That would delight the BJP since the changed numerical equations, if such an alliance were to bloom, could bolster its attempt to pass the contentious Delimitation bill. Helping pass that bill, allegedly inimical to the political representation of the southern states, could, however, burn the DMK's fingers. Moreover, the DMK's dravida ethos sits uneasily with the one endorsed by the BJP. The game could well be afoot in the coming days in southern politics and it would be worth watching the ebb and flow of political fidelity.