Why this kanimozhi

We did very well in the Lok Sabha elections without any new additions to the alliance. Periyar E V Ramaswamy statue being vandalised would have been unimaginable once. Do you think the politics is now more conservative? The police should have taken action but they are scared to do so. But in one way, I think, attacking Periyar ideologically and even vandalising his statues… it has brought in more youth who are interested in finding out about Periyar and his ideology.

You can see on social media platforms that now there is a strong presence of people defending the Dravidian ideology. People are doing it defending the ideology from the comforts of their homes on social media and not on the streets. That is the change. And, Covid also has contributed to it. Most of the exchange of ideas now happens on social media. If people just want to learn only two languages, they have the right to choose… I think we still believe in social justice.

That is the core of the Dravidian ideology. All the opposition parties have to come together to work towards creating a strong Opposition. Parties are also concentrating on state elections. We have elections in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and in West Bengal… As time goes by, the Opposition will come together more strongly and work out strategies on how to deal with the issues facing the nation.

The emphasis on culture and language has reduced…. When the Jallikattu protests happened, everyone asserted that it is an important part of our culture. So, nothing has changed when it comes to protecting our culture and language… See, Tamil is not being threatened today.

Even if the Central government and the BJP are trying to impose Hindi in different ways, Tamil language is in a very comfortable space. There is no need to talk about preserving the language as such. But apart from religious mobilisation, the BJP puts a lot of energy into constantly manufacturing some kind of mobilisation among people on different issues.

How can regional parties reinvent themselves to face this challenge? The needs, the problems, the issues, everything changes, and every party has to keep reinventing and adapting to changes. That cannot be denied… The DMK is a cadre-based party and we reach out to people directly. Now, of course, with modern technology, and we know that the BJP uses social media… we also have to adopt social media to reach out. We have to make it part of our election process… This is one thing we have to keep working at.

This election, investment and employment are the most important issues in Tamil Nadu. We have to talk to people about it and give them the confidence that Tamil Nadu will be put back on the growth path. Do you see yourself taking that place? I do see women coming in larger numbers for our election campaign because there are a lot of issues which have not been addressed. The self-help groups, for example, had created a solid base for many women, especially in rural areas, and enhanced their social participation.

But because the SHGs are not getting loans and support from the government, they are not functioning as before. This has taken away empowerment from these women and they are quite disillusioned. If Indian politics is a theatre, Tamil Nadu is a multiplex. Where cigarette flicks and dark glasses are the perennial symbols of style and substance, sycophancy does a tandava over psephology. And with the players ensconced in the ministerial thrones in Delhi, it is no longer just a southern delight.

Arun Ram, Resident Editor, The Times of India, Tamil Nadu, who alternates between the balcony and the front row, says it incites as much as it excites. During the intervals, he chews on a bit of science and such saner things.

His elder brother Alagiri has learnt this truth and is silent for now. As for his nephew Dayanidhi Maran — now down, but not out — Stalin would not mind to barter some power at the Centre for political propaganda on the hugely popular Sun Network. But when it comes to Kanimozhi, there is something that rattles Stalin, say insiders.

Stalin has a stranglehold over the party machinery in almost all the districts of Tamil Nadu, but he sees red when Kanimozhi, already a popular figure, is projected as a warrior, a martyr. Stalin can line up almost the entire party leadership behind him in case of an attempted power struggle, but Stalin fears Kanimozhican disarm them with the love and affection her father showers on her.

The hoardings that greeted Kanimozhi along the km stretch from the airport to her CIT colony house made it clear that the man who Karunanidhi assigned the outdoor publicity really likes her. They had the best of Kanimozhi pictures and — if you may pardon the quintessential Tamil sycophancy — some decent alliteration.

Aiyyavin kolkai etraay; Annavin lakshyam kondai, Kalaignarin vazhinadanthai, Kaniye kaviye, kanmaniye! Among the clutter of encomia, one stood out. The smoldering politics over language, fanned by the debate over the new education policy, found a new flashpoint on Sunday when DMK MP Kanimozhi shared a recent unpleasant experience at the airport.

The Tuticorin MP said a security officer at the airport asked her if she was "an Indian" because she said she didn't know Hindi and asked the officer Cops Say No. A cellphone video of a traffic jam in which an ambulance is caught, has been doing the rounds in Chennai. It has been alleged that the jam was caused by the convoy of Chief Minister E Palaniswami an allegation that has been denied by the city police.