Letter to BS: Karunanidhi's ability to ride his conviction sets him apart

What set M Karunanidhi apart from other Indian politicians was his ability to ride his convictions and world view than modify them as per the times, in pursuit of power. If contemporary Tamil Nadu politicians leveraged cinema for personal popularity and political positioning, he wielded the medium to promote tenets dear to him using his flair for speech and erudite writings. Thus earning his stature and then picking up the political mantle, he was one of the very few regional leaders who understood the spirit of coexistence — of federalism with a stable and strong Centre. 

Politically astute, he was the first chief minister to gamble on Indira Gandhi’s rise to power in the Congress’ internal power tussle and support her on bank nationalisation. Later, and well placed in TN politics, he opposed the Emergency to shrink the Congress presence in the state. All this while, he played the facilitator to bring Opposition parties together, nationally. Comfortable with both the National Democratic Alliance and United Progressive Alliance, he was an enviable combination of a rationalist thinker, strategist, orator and writer, administrator and above all, a quintessential politician, acceptable to all.

R Narayanan  Navi Mumbai

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