Pervasive Dynastic Politics

Pervasive Dynastic Politics

When we talk about dynastic politics, the first party that comes to mind is the DMK. They've already paved the way for the fourth generation of the Karunanidhi family to enter politics.

Secondly, there's Vaiko, who fought against dynastic politics. Although the MDMK hasn't had a major impact in Tamil Nadu, they are now trying to accuse Mallai Sathya and remove him, as he stands in the way of handing over the party's assets to Vaiko's son on the basis of inheritance.

Thirdly, there's the PMK. Ramadoss, the PMK leader who once said that if anyone from his family entered politics, they should be publicly whipped, is now engaged in a dynastic war with his son, Anbumani.

Ramadoss wants to appoint his grandson, Mukundan Parasuraman (his daughter's son), as the third-generation heir to his party. However, Anbumani wants to appoint one of his own daughters.

Mukundan Parasuraman is an expert in statistics and was born and raised in Tamil Nadu, thus having a good understanding of Tamil Nadu politics. Anbumani's daughters, however, completed their higher education in other states and lead very modern lives that are quite disconnected from the Tamil Nadu soil.

Therefore, Ramadoss wants to appoint Mukundan as the third-generation heir to his party, but Anbumani opposes it. This is the ongoing conflict within the PMK.

All three parties mentioned above uphold the Dravidian ideology. This ideology initially opposed dynastic politics and championed women's priority.

However, these Dravidian parties, who constantly proclaim the Dravidian ideology on every stage, embrace dynastic politics when it comes to their own families and reduce the priority given to women.

In the DMK, the female heir Kanimozhi has not been able to attain higher positions. Similarly, in the PMK, Anbumani opposes his sister's son from entering politics. Ramadoss, on the other hand, prefers a male heir like Mukundan over Anbumani's daughters.

These parties, despite upholding the Dravidian ideology, constantly campaign on stages, claiming that it is the Hindu Sanatana Dharma that upholds hereditary principles and suppresses women's priority. However, they practice in their real lives precisely what they preach against.

When the people of Tamil Nadu will awaken and move past this Dravidian politics and these Dravidian ideologies, only God knows.