CHENNAI, January 17: In Tamil Nadu, where nothing sells like MGR, the late matinee idol is being brought being brought back to life eleven years after his death, by political parties desperate enough to try out any gimmick to get into power.Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi who is flaunting his new-found love for his once arch-rival, hating whom had formed the very foundation for his post-Annadurai politics in Tamil Nadu leads the band of "loyalists" followed by MDMK leader V Gopalsamy, who needed the MGR movie songs to attract the rural youth during his "historic" padayatra against the then Jayalalitha regime in 1994; (He has, of course, now settled in Jayalalitha's camp). All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-T (AIADMK-T) leader S Thirunavukkarasu and R M Veerappan, founder-leader of the MGR Kazhagam also swear that only they represent the loyal MGR followers.
But the strangest contender to MGR's legacy is V N Sudhakaran, the disowned foster son of the
AIADMK supremo, Jayalalitha, who is going around the state claiming that he is the true political heir of the Puratchi Thalaivar. Posters of Sudhagaran, plastered on the city walls, show the "son" in a genial pose with MGR.
Not that the controversial Sudhagaran has great political ambitions threatening his foster mother; it is more likely that he is resorting to such cheap propaganda hoping it would provide him with some political clout to save him from the deep trouble caused by the string of court cases against him. Hence the sobriquet from his fans as "chinna (little) MGR".
In the case of Karunanidhi, however, this is not the first time that he is using MGR's name to garner votes. Even when MGR was alive and convalescing in an American hospital, the DMK chief, while campaigning for his party in the 1984 elections, assured the electorate that if he was voted to power he would vacate the ministerial seat once his "good friend" returned from his Brooklyn bed.
Even national politicians havecome to realise the continued and awesome hold MGR's legacy has over the Tamil masses. The latest to acknowledge this is none other than Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L K Advani. At the AIADMK's Nellai show early this month, Advani, sharing the platform with his Dravidian allies, spoke of the close identity with `nationalism' of both the parties. Hence his party's alliance with the AIADMK.
"When MGR founded his party, initially his symbol was the lotus," he said while addressing the gathering. Showing off his new-found admiration for the late leader, he added, "MGR was a great leader who had a national perception".
However, the "true" successor to the MGR legacy in the AIADMK, Jayalalitha turned out to be a reluctant learner of her mentor's mass-appeal, even years after his demise. Her critics, including some in her own party, have accused her of trying to obliterate MGR's name by suppressing the MGR manrams (fan clubs) while encouraging those of her.
However, the poll debacle in 1996
opened her eyes to hard reality that minus MGR she would be able to achieve little with the state electorate. This realisation was in full display at the recent Nellai conference when the party propaganda once again brought MGR to the fore, promising the public that the "good government" of MGR would return to benefit the people.
The latest demonstration of Karunanidhi's affection for the AIADMK founder would be on show when he unveils his statue at Gobichettypalaym to mark MGR's 81st birth anniversary on Saturday.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
