A Post-Facto Take on Modi–Shah’s Tamil Nadu Gameplan
Taking the liberty of some post-facto reasoning, what exactly was Narendra Modi–Amit Shah’s Tamil Nadu gameplan?
A few key decisions stand out:
Why was K. Annamalai removed and the reins handed over to Nainar Nagendran?
Why did the BJP align with Edappadi K. Palaniswami and the AIADMK?
The answer lies in understanding the internal and external objectives simultaneously.
Within the Tamil Nadu unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party, there were multiple backstabbers and internal detractors. One clear goal was to ensure that this “B-team of ADMK” within the BJP was cleansed.
At the same time, the larger political objective remained unchanged: defeat the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. But that alone wasn’t enough. The AIADMK also needed to be weakened structurally.
This is where the emergence of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam becomes crucial. With TVK acting as a strategic lever, the BJP effectively managed to get three outcomes with one move:
DMK out of power
AIADMK weakened, along with the removal of Annamalai’s detractors within the TN BJP
An inexperienced, unreliable, megalomaniacal leader positioned as Chief Minister
In effect, three birds with one stone.
This, in essence, looks like the BJP’s Tamil Nadu gameplan.
