Opinion |
The recent speech by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin at the 23rd party congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in Kannur, Kerala will go down in political history for at least two reasons. First, Mr. Stalin, in both this speech and in prior statements and actions, has put forth a profound challenge to the model of ‘federalism’ that has become the foundational basis of public policy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government at the Centre.
Second, his speech could be considered an early signal of potential convergence — at least in an ideological, if not tactical, sense — of two radical-revolutionary political paradigms, Dravidianism and communism. This development might fuel momentum for a coalition of dissenting voices at the State level against a ham-handed Central government that appears to be penalising non-BJP-led State governments by weaponising certain aspects of public policy. Both dimensions of Mr. Stalin’s challenge are worth considering in closer detail.
