LS polls: Why nobody speaks against BJP in Tamil Nadu

In his inaugural election speech on Wednesday, DMK chief M Karunanidhi spoke about his commitment to secularism by offering a post-poll alliance chance with the Congress if it kept away from communal elements, but chose not to attack the BJP or the NDA.

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Chief Minister and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa, who is fighting all alone, scrupulously avoided an alliance with the BJP, but spared the party in her speeches.

The leaders of the third political formation, the DMDK and the MDMK, Vijayakanth and Vaiko respectively, hailed Narendra Modi and wanted him as the prime minister of India. Even otherwise, they wouldn't speak against the BJP because they are fighting the elections together.

The Congress is more or less voiceless and we really don't know if it's picking on the BJP. Possibly we will never hear its voice because it's so marginalised.

So, in a nutshell, nobody speaks ill of the BJP or Narendra Modi in Tamil Nadu which is probably unique. Is it electoral strategy, opportunism or a combination of both, viz. opportunistic-strategy?

The answer obviously is the third. Jayalalithaa doesn't want any business with the BJP for political reasons before or during the elections. But after the elections, most probably her numbers will decide the possibility and future of a BJP-led government. More over, she has never spoken against Modi as the prime minister of India and why should she now? Reportedly they are in good terms as well.

For Vijayakanth, if the front that he leads - the DMDK-BJP-MDMK-PMK- gets some useful seats, he too will throw in his lot with the BJP and be part of the next government. If he doesn't make enough numbers, by being un-inimical to the party, he can be a fellow-traveller and get some fringe benefits. Who knows how the situation turns out to be?

The same situation goes for Vaiko as well. By being in the BJP camp and hailing Modi, he can be a friend too. It's always useful to have a friendly national government when you have nothing else to cling on to. Even if the MDMK, which has been in political wilderness far too long, doesn't win a single seat, he will still emerge with some advantage if the BJP forms the next government.

So, in the final analysis, everybody wants a BJP government at the Centre or nobody wants to speak against the BJP and Modi, lest the BJP forms the next government.

This is the closet than one can get to a consensus national government. And everybody will be secular too.