Chennai: As Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi’s late night flip-flop fuelled a debate over the Raj Bhavan’s powers, the BJP sought to take the high moral ground in the row over DMK minister Senthil Balaji’s dismissal by highlighting Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s “doublespeak” on corruption.
BJP state chief K. Annamalai put up a tweet Friday stating that the party “reserves” its comments on the dismissal of Senthil Balaji from the Council of Ministers by Ravi.
But, Annamalai also took the opportunity to highlight that Stalin had himself sought the scalp of Senthil Balaji over corruption charges five years ago when he was the opposition leader.
BJP Tamil Nadu, for now, reserves its comments on the dismissal of Cash for Job Scam Thiru Senthil Balaji from the council of ministers by the Hon Governor of TN.
However, we want to remind TN CM Thiru @mkstalin of his doublespeak.
In 2018, the then-opposition leader demanded… pic.twitter.com/AfJ3GF6QY3
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) June 30, 2023
While the Raj Bhavan released a statement Thursday night saying Senthil Balaji’s arrest by the ED in an alleged cash-for-jobs scam was the reason for his dismissal, the Governor later issued a letter putting his order in abeyance.
“I have been advised by the Hon’ble Union Minister of Home Affairs (Amit Shah) that it would be prudent to seek the opinion of the Attorney General also. Accordingly, I am approaching the Attorney General for his opinion. Meanwhile, the order of dismissal of the minister Thiru V. Senthil Balaji may be kept in abeyance until further communication from me,” Ravi wrote in a second letter to CM M.K. Stalin.
ThePrint has a copy of the letter.
Though the BJP leadership in Tamil Nadu has always rooted for the Governor who has been at loggerheads with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government, the latest step taken by Ravi has seemingly caused embarrassment for the dispensation in Delhi.
“The Governor was given a late night pep talk by the Home Minister and was advised to seek the Attorney General’s opinion on the issue,” a senior BJP leader in Delhi told ThePrint.
“The Governor is the custodian of the Constitution, but sometimes they overlook the rule book, and go with emotion. The Governor’s premature action has given the opposition a chance to hit out at the Centre.”
In Tamil Nadu, the DMK called the Governor’s action as well as the pressure mounted on the ruling party in the state as the “BJP’s modus operandi” against the opposition-ruled states.
“These are steps to threaten political parties and to make it difficult for the government, which is from an opposition (party). It (BJP) is hoping to find some small political space through this process. They have always done this to all those opposition parties that don’t fall in line with what they say, and we are ideologically opposed to them,” DMK deputy general secretary and Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi told ThePrint.
“I think it is strange that the Governor will go to this extent and behave like an extra constitutional authority without the blessings of the Union government. Maybe this is the first time they’ve distanced themselves. Otherwise, the BJP has always supported what the Governor has been doing and all that the Governors have been doing in all opposition states,” she said.
If the Governor has acted on his own accord without the approval, Kanimozhi said, the BJP then should come out and condemn it openly. “Silence is not an answer,” she asserted.
Political analyst A.S. Panneerselvan, too, said the Governor could not have gone ahead without the blessing of the Union Government. “If the Governor has taken the decision without consulting anybody, why no punitive action against the government? That’s a key question. Isn’t it? The idea of shifting everything on to the Governor; I think it is an easy way for the Union government to insulate itself,” said Panneerselvan, a fellow at Chennai’s Roja Muthiah Research Library.
In Delhi, a BJP general secretary said the party has decided to pursue the narrative of corruption against the DMK government to make headway in Tamil Nadu.
“The BJP earlier did not get traction in Tamil media for our narrative, but the continuous tour of our ministers, (and) Annamalai’s aggressive campaigning has changed our party dynamics in the state. For any election, three things are required — we have a narrative of corruption, leaders and resources with alliance partners…we can win more than 20 seats,” the senior leader said.
The larger strategy of the BJP to make inroads into the state is not just through its drive against corruption, but also drawing on Tamil culture and dynasty politics, the senior functionary added.
“The Sengol ceremony in the new Parliament, the Kashi Tamil Sangamam, the Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam and the constant references to Tamil writings by the Prime Minister are all part of breaking the animosity towards the BJP in Tamil Nadu,” the BJP general secretary explained.
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BJP’s action plan in Tamil Nadu
In Tamil Nadu, where the BJP garnered 3.66 per cent of the vote share in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the party has been trying to push rival DMK into a corner with repeated allegations of corruption, coinciding with Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax (IT) department probes.
The BJP has also been trying to ride on the Dravidian credentials of its ally, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), while filling the Opposition space that it seems to have left behind amid its recovery from consecutive electoral defeats and internal conflicts.
“A single narrative, corruption, is it going to bring down the number of DMK MPs in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls? I don’t think so. Certainly, the BJP is growing in Tamil Nadu, but to what extent, that will be known only in the electoral battle,” said author and political strategist J.V.C. Sreeram.
Speaking to ThePrint, DMK spokesperson and former MP T.K.S. Elangovan pointed out that Dravidian parties that have been in power in the state for over five decades are wary of an alliance with the BJP.
“The people of Tamil Nadu have never accepted the BJP, whether they contested alone or as part of an alliance. Even when they (BJP) had contested with the DMK in 2001, the DMK lost its government. People of Tamil Nadu will not accept BJP because of its ideology,” said Elangovan.
Adding, “Whether DMK or AIADMK, any party aligning with the BJP will not fare well (in Tamil Nadu).”
The AIADMK, which is an ally of the BJP, has also faced several setbacks over the last six months. From Annamalai suggesting that the BJP sever its ties with the AIADMK, to his purported jibe about AIADMK matriarch late J. Jayalalithaa were instances that further strained the alliance.
In an interview he gave in June, Annamalai was asked if the “1991-96 period” was among the worst in terms of corruption that Tamil Nadu had ever witnessed. To that, he responded by saying that the state was among the most corrupt in the country and even saw convictions of former chief ministers in courts of law — a purported reference to Jayalalithaa.
Sreeram said that the BJP might be trying to replicate the Maharashtra model in Tamil Nadu.
“After the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Shiv Sena and BJP contested assembly elections separately and BJP became the dominant partner. In order to gain an equal partner status, Annamalai probably has a calculation that I do not have to carry AIADMK at this point in time,” he explained.
Even within the AIADMK, there have been voices calling for a break in ties with the BJP.
“Annamalai has made several remarks which are not fit for an alliance partner and his actions are condemnable. Our leadership has said that any more wrong moves from them (BJP) will not be tolerated,” said a senior AIADMK leader on conditions of anonymity.
Corruption might be an easy issue and the BJP may want to draw lessons from 2014 when the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was attacked purely on the basis of corruption, said Panneerselvan. “The problem in 2024 is that the issues are not going to be just corruption. They are going to be about governance, economic growth, and employment,” he added.
Governor Ravi & controversies
Governor Ravi has been at loggerheads with the DMK government for almost two years now over a number of issues including delays in the promulgation of bills, with 13 bills still reportedly pending with him as of 26 June.
While the governor’s ongoing conflict with the government may have served the BJP well, there have also been times when his moves proved to be counterproductive to the BJP’s strategy, such as now.
The governor also drew the ire of nearly all political parties in the state when he termed the Dravidian model of governance a “political slogan” or when he referred to Tamil Nadu as “Tamizhagam”. He also courted controversy with his statements on Sanatana Dharma and Tamil culture.
In his previous posting in the Northeast where he was governor of Nagaland, Ravi had his run-ins with the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), which leads the all-party government in the state.
He was also accused of targeting the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) group and being soft on its rival, Naga National Political Groups, which comprised seven extremist groups. Ravi, who served as the central government’s interlocutor for Naga peace talks, quit the post after his relationship with NSCN (I-M) deteriorated.
With inputs from Shanker Arnimesh
This is an updated version of this report.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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