Over the past week, the complex tapestry of Kollywood and TN politics has been infused with one more fabric: the Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) floated by actor Vijay. With the formation of TVK, Vijay joins the long list of successful Kollywood personalities who plunged into politics capitalizing on their onscreen fame beginning with AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran, his protégé Jayalalithaa, Kamal Haasan, Vijayakanth, Sarath Kumar, Seeman, Karthik among others. Superstar Rajinikanth had almost made that plunge before alleged health issues forced him to back out.
While announcing his new party, Vijay condemned the alleged inept, corrupt, and divisive politics practiced by active politicians today and has promised to providing a selfless, open, secular political party with the long-term vision of providing a corruption-free, efficient government focusing on people’s welfare.
Barring a few political outfits such the Bharatiya Janatha Party (BJP), which is openly known for its right-wing politics, Naam Tamizhar Katchi (NTK), which has clearly spelt out in no uncertain terms that it is party working only for the welfare of Tamils anywhere in the world, the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) for the welfare of the Vanniyar community, and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (Dalit outfit), all other mainstream parties have been floated with the same agenda that Vijay is proposing for his TVK. Even the DMK and the AIADMK proclaim the same ideals that TVK has promised to bring about. Then, why is the need for Vijay to float a new party? Would it not be simpler to join a party sharing a similar vision and work for the welfare of the people?
Though none can have second thoughts about Vijay’s huge fan following, which is very likely to transform into a potent vote bank, no major political outfit has wooed the actor enough for him to consider joining them and bring about the change that he envisions.
And that says so much more about the short-sightedness of our political parties – in TN as well as the rest of the country – than actor Vijay or other stars like him who have been forced to float their own parties.
If popular actors like Vijay or Kamal Haasan join a political outfit that aligns with their ideology, they are more likely to get lost in the muck of intra-party politics where blind loyalty and devotion or a blood connection – like during the region of kings in the past – is the only gateway for success.
In our country, which proudly claims to be the largest democracy in the world, there is absolutely zero democracy in most political parties. If popular actors like Vijay or Kamal Haasan join a political outfit that aligns with their ideology, they are more likely to get lost in the muck of intra-party politics where blind loyalty and devotion or a blood connection – like during the region of kings in the past – is the only gateway for success. In such a dismal political environment, these stars have no other choice but float their own outfits.
The only two actor-politicians in TN who have had hugely successful careers are undoubtedly MGR and Jayalalithaa. Vijayakanth came close but could not get to the finish line of winning an election and running a successful government.
MGR, unlike all his actor-politician successors, did not plunge into politics by floating a party. He believed in the ideology of the Dravidian movement and joined the DMK to work for the party under his political mentor and Dravidian stalwart CN Annadurai, who gracefully embraced the successful actor with a huge fan-following and groomed him as a leader.
But for a rift with Karunanidhi, MGR could as well have remained as a prominent leader in the DMK. If Annadurai had lived longer and managed to hold his two proteges together under the Dravidian ideology, the fate of TN politics could have been so unlike what it is today.
Similarly, Jayalalithaa did not float a party of her own either when she turned to politics. She grew in the AIADMK under MGR’s guidance and was groomed by him as a future leader. Despite all the chaos that followed MGR’s death, Jayalalithaa eventually emerged successful by defeating all her rivals within the party.
Unfortunately, no Dravidian party active today can claim to have a tall leader like CN Annadurai who had the wisdom to groom promising, young non-family members as future leaders risking their own position and clout. And that is the bane of not just TN but most parties across the country.
With major political parties continuing to be run like family businesses with zero democratic values, aspiring politicians from other fields have no choice but float their own outfits adding to the already muddled political environment or risk losing their identities. Ironically, these leaders who form their own outfits also propagate the same subculture and run their fledgling parties like family businesses.
Globally, only two mainstream political movements remain relevant in most democratic nations across the world: the liberals and the conservatives, or in other words, the left- and right-wing politics which provide alternative world views.
Globally, only two mainstream political movements remain relevant in most democratic nations across the world: the liberals and the conservatives, or in other words, the left- and right-wing politics which provide alternative world views. An emerging third global political movement that is gaining prominence is the green movement, which promotes environment-friendly governance and shuns mindless industrial development.
In India too, there is hardly any scope for an alternative movement besides these three schools of thought in mainstream politics. Then, where is the need for so many political parties? It is the colossal failure of our political leadership that there is no genuine democratic space within most major political parties. In such a scenario, more such fledgling outfits are likely to sprout only to complicate the already chaotic political landscape in India with no real value addition.