Electoral battle in Tamil Nadu became exhilarating with DMDK led by Vijayakant undergoing a “vertical” split on Sunday. The three rebel MlAs and seven district secretaries who were expelled from the DMDK following their revolt against Vijayakant joining the People’s Welfare Front formed a new entity by name Makkal Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (MDMDK). Though they announced the formation of the separate party at a marriage hall in T Nagar, a Chennai suburb, a larger than life picture of Vijayakant adored the podium.
“This is not a split in our party. Vijayakant is our undisputed leader. We want him to come out of the PWF and forge an alliance with the DMK,” said V Chandra Kumar, the rebel leader. He reiterated his charge that the fight of the rebels was against Premalatha and her family who were bent on joining either the BJP or the PWF alliance. Chandra Kumar and other rebels who addressed the meeting blamed Vaiko of the MDMK for creating a wedge between them and Vijayakant.
The birth of MDMDK from the DMDK is being described as the continuing disintegration of the Dravidar Kazhagam formed in 1944 by EV Ramasamy Naicker. The DMK was formed by CN Annadurai and friends who were active members of the DK. Their decision to come out of DK was in protest against Naicker, then 71, marrying a young Maniamma, who was hardly 20 and nominating her as his successor.
Karunanidhi who became the DMK president in 1969 following the death of Annadurai, wanted the party to be totally under his control. He had big ambitions for his son Muthu, born out of his official first wife, Padmavathi. But MG Ramachandran, MGR to followers, had emerged as the DMK’s poster boy and was popular than both Karunanidhi and Muthu. To ensure the smooth succession of Muthu, Karunanidhi expelled MGR from the DMK in 1972. Thus was born the AIADMK.
With Muthu failing to live up to the expectations, Karunanidhi began grooming Stalin, his son by second wife Dayalu. Stalin had the image of a playboy and was never cut out for the job of a politician. Moreover there was another young star in the DMK those days by name Vayyapuri Gopalasamy who was famous for his trade mark oration. When Karunanidhi found Gopalasamy a stumbling block in the rise of Stalin in the party, he showed Gopalasamy the door and thus the DMK became a Karunanidhi clan affair. Gopalasamy, a rationalist, for numerological reasons changed his name to Vaiko and launched the MDMK.
The year 2005 saw Vijayakant, who had some political dreams and who describes himself as the Black MGR launching DMDK. On the eleventh year of its formation, the DMDK has undergone a split and thus was born the MDMDK.
More interesting developments are on anvil. Three senior members of Tamil manila Congress has revolted against GK Vasan’s decision to tie up with the PWF. Former members of parliament SR Balasubramanian, Viswanathan and former MlA Peter Alphonse are the TMC rebels. One has to wait for the next couple of days to see whether the trio would launch Makkal Tamil Manila Congress or an entity like that.