Even though Udhay has left no doubt internally of his leadership position at the DMK, he is still from some distance emerging as either a fully mature or pragmatic politician. His bold move to speak out against ‘Sanatan Dharma’ made him a national talking point – but whether it brought any helpful tides to the india alliance is a matter of deep doubt. In tamil Nadu, however, it’s the DMK’s home ground – a comfortable space they have returned to quite often. While the matter is being judicially fought out at the madras High Court, questions have already flown about Udhay’s intent in launching the ‘Fight Against Sanatan’ campaign. As though to answer those questions, the DMK has conspicuously dropped such a high-decibel campaign.
Udhay needs to assert his title inside the DMK and come out more strongly on issues he feels genuinely about while playing craftily in areas such as setting the national narrative where senior politicians can play the guiding light.
As the national elections to parliament emerge on the horizon, two things are clear the bjp appears to be entering the fray from a position of strength (evidenced in the recent display in Madhya Pradesh, rajasthan and Chhattisgarh). The DMK appears on the back foot, especially in the reactions to floods and other politico-governance issues. Add to this equation the presence of a state bjp unit strident than ever seen in tamil Nadu. This leaves Udhay in a clearly adversarial position in politics. Nevertheless, he hails from a family that has risen ever so often from situations trickier than this one. Hence the question: Will Udhay discover his mojo and help the DMK turn the tables?
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