With the consolidation of political power in the hands of Edappadi K. Palaniswami, former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, who has been elected as interim General Secretary of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), a complex process of paradigmatic transition in Dravidian politics is more or less complete, and a new era is set to begin in earnest.
It was clear that a profound change was coming, starting in late 2016, with the passing of former AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa. When the era of M. Karunanidhi, former President of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), also passed into the history books in late 2018, there was little doubt that the 50-year Dravidian mobilisation project would cease to be dependent purely on the whims and fancies of strongman — and strong-woman — leaders. Now, performance in office and the delivery of good governance, policies that matter to the citizenry’s daily lives, matter more than ever before.
Editorial | Twin trouble: On the rumble in the AIADMK
