The bonhomie seen between bitter rivals DMK and BJP at a recent event in Chennai has set the political tongues wagging in the Sate.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, releasing the ₹100 commemorative coin to mark MK Karunanidhi’s 100th birth anniversary, called Karunanidhi a “a titan of Indian politics, a cultural stalwart and a relentless advocate of social justice.”

TN Chief Minister MK Stalin thanked Rajnath Singh and even Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his message. In fact, he was effusive in his praise for BJP leaders saying that their tributes to Karunanidhi were more eloquent than that of some DMK leaders’.This sudden warming up just a few months after the bitter, bruising and no holds-barred Lok Sabha election campaign did surprise many political observers. Is this just a one-off act of statesmanship from leaders of both parties or is there more to it?

The most common theory being floated was that this bonhomie was done to wrong foot their common political foe – the AIADMK, which was quick to say that there was a secret pact being sewed between the DMK and BJP. But this perception does throw up more questions.

Though both these parties would like to see a diminished AIADMK, for the DMK the BJP in the medium- to long-term will prove a more formidable political opponent given that the BJP rules at the Centre and is also the biggest national party with seemingly inexhaustible resources. Another theory being floated is for the BJP, keeping DMK happy is an “insurance” against either Nitish Kumar or Chandrababu Naidu withdrawing support. But there is no imminent threat for the time being to the Modi-led government as it is in the interests of both Nitish and Naidu to support the ruling NDA.

With the TN Assembly elections looming, the coming months will tell us how the political alliances will shape up.

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