Thiruvananthapuram: Aiming to bring a ‘Stalin rule’ in Kerala, Tamil Nadu’s ruling party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is expanding its activities in the neighbouring southern state.
The party has fielded over 20 candidates in the upcoming local civic polls in Kollam and Idukki districts.
“The people in Kerala do wish for Stalin’s rule in Kerala. That’s what we are working for. When there were floods, each time, Tamil Nadu CM Stalin sent aides. Whatever happens in Kerala, Stalin reacts. We believe that people see it,” DMK Kerala state secretary K.R. Murugesan told ThePrint.
More candidates couldn’t be fielded as the rising sun symbol was sanctioned at the last minute, he said, adding that the selected seats have the most chances of victory.
Earlier, the rising sun symbol was with the Kerala Congress (B).
Murugesan said the party has district units and functionaries in all the 14 districts in Kerala and that the party has been active for the last 27 years in Kerala.
Founded by C. N. Annadurai in 1949, the DMK is a major political party in Tamil Nadu and is the main opposition party in Puducherry.
Interestingly, the DMK as well as the constituents of the ruling Left Democratic Front and the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala are part of the INDIA bloc. Similarly, Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), is a key constituent of the ruling Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) in Tamil Nadu.
“Both the leading alliances in Kerala are members of the INDIA bloc. We will grow without antagonising them. People, too, are hoping for a third front that is not the BJP. Our campaign will also be under Stalin rule in Kerala,” Murugesan said.
Meanwhile, the DMK leaders in Chennai said they are watching the developments in Kerala without much involvement.
“We got the symbol, and this is the first time. We will see how it goes,” DMK leader R.S. Bharathi told ThePrint. He said the party’s Kerala activities are mostly organised by Murugesan.
However, the local CPI(M) unit said that though the DMK and the CPI(M) are part of the INDIA bloc, it doesn’t have much significance in Kerala.
“They have fielded rebels from existing parties and have fielded candidates. However, it has not grown to impact the politics of the district or the state,” P. Saji CPI(M)’s Punalur area committee secretary said.
The Dravidian party’s quiet growth is also happening at a time when both Kerala and Tamil Nadu are approaching elections early next year. Sharing borders, 1.49 percent of Kerala’s population is Tamil-speaking, with the state having significant popularity for DMK leaders such as M.K. Stalin and Kanimozhi, and Dravidian ideologue Periyar.
The DMK’s Thiruvananthapuram functionary Aneesh told ThePrint that most of the party’s followers are Malayalees. “It’s not the Tamil population; more Malayalees are joining the party. Whenever we organise a function, we get at least 100 youngsters.”
The functionaries said the party is also hoping to contest the upcoming polls based on the local body poll results.
“We are planning to contest a few seats in bordering districts first, Kollam, Idukki, Palakkad, and Thiruvananthapuram. We will also request the LDF or UDF not to contest in these seats. It’s the DMK that has given the Left parties and Congress seats in Tamil Nadu,” Murugesan said.
The party, he said, intensified its efforts in Kerala in the last two years.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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