The Margazhi month as per Tamil almanac began on December 16 and will end on January 13, 2018. According to legends, this is a period dedicated to spiritual activities. The month has not been kind to Tamil Nadu, if past instances are any indication.
Tamil Nadu lost two of its charismatic leaders in the month of December. MG Ramachandran, the founder of AIADMK and popularly known as Makkal Tilakam (Star of the people) died on 24, December 1987 while Jayalalithaa, his chosen heir passed away on December 5, 2016.
It was in December 2004, the tsunami waves devastated Tamil Nadu and carried away nearly 2,000 people from the State’s coast. EV Ramasamy Naiker, the founder of the Dravidian movement and former Chief Minister C Rajagopalachari too breathed their last in December. This has made the month of December as well as Margazhi inauspicious for the people of Tamil Nadu.
If reports coming out of the AIADMK camp are true, this December is going to be inauspicious for the party. The AIADMK is fighting with its back to the wall against a combined Opposition onslaught in the by-election to be held at the RK Nagar Assembly constituency on December 21. The DMK, independent candidate TTV Dinakaran and allies of the DMK are unanimous in their allegation that the AIADMK is pumping in money to retain the seat which was held by former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa whose demise on December 5, 2016 left the seat vacant.
The political situation in Tamil Nadu is so fluid that the AIADMK Government led by Edappadi Palaniswamy is expected to fall at any time from now.
According to the Election Commission of India verdict, the AIADMK has only 111 MlAs in the House which has an effective strength of 234. The party should have 118 MlAs to claim absolute majority in the House. Even if it wins the RK Nagar constituency, it should have to find out another six MlAs to prop up the EPS Government, which looks unlikely now.
“We feel we made a big mistake by merging our faction with the EPS faction,” a senior AIADMK leader told The Pioneer on Sunday. He said many of the leaders, MlAs and MPs belonging to the Palaniswamy faction are staying away from campaigning for Madhusudanan, the party candidate. “You can see either an explosion or an implosion in the party after the RK Nagar by-poll,” he said.
The year 201 mars the birth centenary of party founder M G Ramachandran. It also marks the 40th anniversary of MGR becoming the chief minister of the State. “It was our Amma’s (read Jayalalithaa) wish that Tamil Nadu should have a Government led by the AIADMK during the centenary year of MGR. But it seems the party itself would get disintegrated in the centenary year of MGR,” said the AIADMK leader who did not want his name to be quoted.