When Rahul Gandhi landed in Chennai on Saturday morning, to campaign for the Congress candidates for the first time in the April 23 Tamil Nadu election, all eyes were on whether he and Stalin would make a joint appearance. Much like 2024, when Gandhi and Stalin had campaigned together, referring to each other as ''brother''. In Coimbatore, after one such joint meeting, Gandhi had even walked into a sweet shop to buy a packet of Mysore Pak, a popular South Indian sweet, for Stalin. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, quoting a couplet from Thirukkural, had said he was touched and overwhelmed by the 'sweet gesture' from ''brother Rahul Gandhi''.
This time, the family soap opera has been replaced by a comic tale with the erroneous translation of Rahul-speak, providing fodder for meme creators and ammunition to the opposition to ridicule the Congress.
''They told the nation a lie,'' said Rahul Gandhi at an election public meeting in Tamil Nadu on Saturday.
''They said that the nation is alive,'' said his translator.
''You saw the face of the Prime Minister, completely lacking in confidence,'' said Gandhi.
''The Prime Minister's face was full of confidence,'' said the translator.
''The PM is controlled by the United States,'' said Gandhi.
''We see India as a united force,'' said the translator.
The translator's gaffes, in a nutshell, encapsulate all that has been wrong with the Congress in the run-up to the Tamil Nadu election. It initially sulked, reportedly unhappy about how the DMK second-rung leaders in the districts treated its representatives, asked for a share in power if the DMK-led alliance returned to power, demanded 41 assembly seats to contest, with a few Congress leaders suggesting a tie-up with Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) if the DMK refused to play ball. Finally, under instructions from the Congress old guard, the deal with the DMK was struck at 28 seats, an increase of three seats over 2021.
Truth be told, the arithmetic was partially settled, but the chemistry wasn't. After all, it cannot be the most difficult thing to arrange a campaign meeting with both Stalin and Gandhi in attendance. The fact that it has not been done gives rise to doubt whether both sides are simply not interested. On April 18, Gandhi campaigned in Chennai and Tiruchy while Stalin was out of the state capital. On April 20, Gandhi campaigned in southern Tamil Nadu while Stalin canvassed in Chennai. Stalin did share the stage with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in Hosur, but then, Kharge is not Rahul. Though Stalin and Rahul still refer to each other as ''brother'', the optics point to a coldness in the relationship, and the ''logistics'' excuse provided by DMK leader RS Bharathi appears to be just a smokescreen.
Talking of optics, the man visible with Gandhi and sharing the stage with him in Tamil Nadu on Saturday was Praveen Chakravarty, Chairman of the Data Analytics wing of the Congress. Chakravarty was the person who held confabulations with the TVK, leading to speculation that the Congress was exploring a non-DMK option with Vijay. Given that Chakravarty is seen as close to Gandhi, everyone assumed it was being done on instructions from the Leader of the Opposition. Chakravarty's presence and Stalin's absence, will make anyone with a basic understanding of Tamil Nadu politics connect the dots.
Contrast this with the NDA, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on every campaign visit to Tamil Nadu, has been seen with NDA's CM face Edappadi Palaniswami of the AIADMK by his side. With all senior leaders of the NDA in attendance, the alliance has put up a united face, unlike the Secular Progressive Alliance - as the INDIA bloc is called in Tamil Nadu - which conveys the impression of an alliance coming unstuck. BJP leader K Annamalai referred to the no-show as a sign of alliance fragility.
It is important to note that Stalin has shared the stage with the leaders of all other parties in the SPA, be it Premalatha of the DMDK, Thirumavalavan of VCK or Kamal Haasan of MNM. In fact, he was seen even with RJD leader Tejeswi Yadav and campaigned alongside AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal as well. So what does the no-show by Stalin and Gandhi indicate?
There is a section within the DMK that suspects that Congress party's continuance with the party can no longer be taken for granted. A joint appearance with Rahul will be seen as an endorsement for a partner who is also suspected of flirting with rival Vijay. There is a school of thought that also believes that the Congress cadre transfer of vote to the DMK, DMDK or VCK candidates in all the constituencies cannot be taken for granted this time. Should that lead to defeats by very narrow margins, the knives would be out for the Congress. Likewise, if the DMK cadre takes the cue from its top leadership and does not vote enthusiastically for the 28 Congress candidates, it would jeopardise the winning chances of the national party.
The TVK, too, has been fanning trouble in the SPA from time to time. In one of his campaign speeches, Vijay alleged that the Congress had been ''purchased'' by the DMK while the ''real Congress'' was with the people - and potentially with the TVK. The comment suggested that the Congress cadre would vote for the TVK instead of its SPA partners.
But despite all the discomfort on the Tamil Nadu turf, the two parties remain allies at the national level. They worked in tandem with SP and TMC to thwart the passage of the delimitation bill in the Lok Sabha on Friday. The election results will give a pointer on whether and how the uncomfortable relationship continues at the state level. From all indications, irrespective of which way the election goes, a realignment of forces - either in the SPA or the NDA - is bound to take place after May 4.
(The author is a senior journalist)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
