Similar, yet Different !

 

Photo: India Today

 
Elections are around the corner. For a country like India where political thoughts dates back even before the times of Chanakya, there isn’t a dearth of political ideologies or leaders. The Indian freedom struggle witnessed a plot where a number of leaders with diversified ideologies came together to make a country out of a pluralistic society.Led and framed by such statesmen India has stood the test of time of being a successful democracy for more than six decades now. Independent India has only produced more statesmen and continues to.

This post is about two of such statesmen  - Mr.M.Karunanidhi and Mr.Atal Bihari Vajpayee. To me they are similar, yet they are largely different. All through their life they have showed a contrast of resemblance and differences clearly. Born in the year 1924, both of them have travelled through the same timeline in different paths (Karunanidhi is just few months elder to Vajpayee). Which means, when Mahatma Gandhi marched towards Dandi to break the salt law against the British as a part of Salt Satyagraha, both of them were just around 5 years of age. And when India won its independence both were in their early 20s bubbling with enthusiasm to be a part of the nation building process. 

It is very interesting to note that both of them had started their election debut in the very same year – 1957. It was in the second Indian elections that both got their tickets to represent the masses. Vajpayee walked towards the Indian parliament whereas Karunanidhi wisely chose to get elected into the Legislative Assembly. There started their journey and from then both of them got themselves elected to the respective assemblies in every election they contested. Look at the long journey Karunanidhi and Vajpayee have travelled so far. Dont forget to note that the year '1957' was the times of  Jawaharlal Nehru and from then the country has itself seen 3 generations of Nehru-Gandhi family after Nehru being at the helm of affairs till date (OMG! So many years!!). That said, a doubt arises if Karunanidhi and Vajpayee would have ever imagined that they would both ally themselves. They did. History was created on their coming together. That too,it was after 50 years from their election debut. Post-Nehruvian India was characterized by regionalism which led to what was described as “Coalition Dharma” affecting the stability of the government heavily. But it was the alliance headed by Vajpayee, of which Karunanidhi was a part, which completed the first full 5 year term outside the Congress.Thus showing the path for a ‘stable’ Coalition politics which has become a reality altogether. They say politics has no permanent foes or friends. True. Both of them decided to part ways after being together in an alliance for nearly 5 years.

Though both started their journey in the same timeline, Vajpayee had to wait for so many long years to become the leader of the house that he represented. That too, it was only after two unsuccessful attempts of being the Prime Minister for 13 days and later for 13 months. But Karunanidhi was lucky enough to become the Chief Minster in just 12 years. From there , Karunanidhi was sworn in as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu for 5 times (Only twice he completed his full five year term).

A.B. Vajpayee, along with L.K.Advani, diligently built the Bharaiya Janata Party (BJP) brick by brick. The prelude to the BJP was the Bharaiya Jana Sangh. Similarly Karunanidhi was one of the early members of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) which takes its roots from the Dravida Kazhagam. But in terms of ideologies their parties were at extreme ends. The BJP believes in Hinduism and has taken its route to power on the principles of Hindutva. On the contrary, the DMK is atheist in its character. It built its base by fighting against religious and other superstitious beliefs. Also if you dig into their ideologies, you will come to know that BJP indirectly support the Aryan race and the DMK clearly represent the Dravidian race. Thus Karunanidhi and Vajpayee represent two entirely different, in fact contradicting ideologies. Still they made politics together. It was only because they both agreed to disagree.This is what politics is all about.

On their personal life: Both of them took up their career related to literature. Vajpayee was a poet and Karunanidhi has contributed to the Tamil Literature in a versatile manner. And here comes the biggest difference between them. Vajpayee remained as a bachelor all through his life whereas Karunanidhi went on to marry thrice.

Vajpayee retired from active politics after his prime-ministership and remains silent ever after due to his ill-health. There is hardly any news about him. But Karunanidhi is active and seems to be enjoying his political life remaining as the star campaigner of his party till this date. “Displaying an agility and alertness beyond his ripe age of 91, the DMK patriarch M. Karunanidhi” recently told his supporters that if they support the DMK in the upcoming 16^th Lok Sabha election, then “he was willing to campaign even for the next 50 years.”

Karunanidhi and Vajpayee are indeed similar yet different in their own ways. Thanks to both of them for all the services and politics they have delivered so far. 

And more is yet to come!