DMK President Mr.M.Karunanidhi has been admitted in Kavery Hospital and is apparently fighting hard for his life. One could witness an extraordinary emotional upheaval among DMK cadre in the wake of deterioration of MK’s health. Much against its policy on human rationalism, the party’s cadres are found worshipping a dozen of gods and goddesses praying earnestly to return their ailing leader from the beds of Kavery.
This is only one side of the story. One could also witness on social media for the past one week or so postings and memes that wish immediate death for MK. Pathetic they are in taste and spirit, this is the human quality expressed at its worst. Still they are done to a great number and such expressions well up unabated all over social media for the last fortnight. Most of the memes and jokes on MK’s health are generated by youngsters who are, by every estimation, less than 30 years of age. Also, most of them are from backward / most backward and other underprivileged communities whose welfare the party headed by MK has been standing for around a century.
Most of the TN youth are without basic political conscientiousness. That is why one could find mushrooming growth in the number of political parties that keep floated here from time to time. Status of hero in half a dozen of films is more than sufficient reason here to float a political party in the State. And, Tamil epithets would make the heroes indispensable names in the households. I don’t think there is anyone worth their name in the State as of now having original political thoughts - except Karunanidhi and K.Veeramani. There are other entries in the political ring in recent times who have apparently hired ghostwriters of ideology and principles. In all probablity, they might not stand the test of time.
While leading DMK for more than fifty years as its President, Karunanidhi did probably everything right except that he did not take enough care to sensitize the party’s youth wing about Dravidian political philosophy and its relevance to the masses. There was a time in the late 50s and 60s when every DMK man could talk for hours on the Dravidian politics and contributions of EVR to the welfare of the land and its people. But the number of such cadre strength has been steadily on decline and by millennium, DMK had almost lost all such politically conscious cadre. There is another angle to it.
Karunanidhi, for more than fifty years, since he became CM for the first time in 1969, had to fight the likes of MGR and Jayalalitha to remain relevant in TN polity. One does not have much of a chance to fight the likes MGR and his apprentice on the strength of social philosophy and political ideology. MGR fought Karunanidhi on the strength of a phenomenon called ‘charisma’ and the same goes with Jayalalitha as well. Karunanidhi had to adjust his strategies to combat charisma of MGR first and then,Jaya. He had no chance other than to resort to cheap street fight techniques to sustain his party base and political relevance. As he reeled under the political wilderness for more than fourteen years starting 1977, MK was trying each and every political gimmick to keep DMK alive in the State. In this situation of political uncertainty, he could not have thought of educating his cadre on Dravidian ideology. In fact, he was in dire need of cadre who would come to streets, on demand, in protest against either MGR or Jaya.
It is in this background we should understand why there have been any number of third-rate comments, memes, jokes shared on Karunanithi’s health for the past some days. Some of them even wish death for him. Had the youth been educated on Dravidian political philosophy over the years, despite other urgent political stunts MK had to engage himself and party cadre in, one would have seen more responsible comments from the youth of the State as the nonagenarian leader is fighting yet another battle from the ICU of Kavery Hospital.
But, MK will fight this time as well, tooth and nail!
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