With polling day fast approaching and ministries already
established in some provinces, speculation as to who will be the Madras premier
has begun keenly to exercise the public mind.
Will it be Prakasam?
At one time he and C.R. exhausted the whole gamut of choice.
If it was not C.R., it would be Prakasam. That was how people felt. Anti-C.R.
sections in Tamil Nadu adroitly made use of Prakasam for their own ends, and
had the delight excited by the prospect of an Andhra premier, seconded their
efforts. Mass-generated Andhra political sentiment took on an increasingly
anti-C.R. turn, and without going into the niceties of competence, it simply
flew the banner of “Andhras for an Andhra Premier”. This was just the sort of
thing that could be depended upon for giving the fillip to a similar exclusive
feeling in Tamil Congressmen. As their need of Prakasam ceased with C.R.’s
renunciation of struggle, they started looking among themselves for a possible
leader. It was not a concerted move only in the sense that among the aspiring
each backed himself against all the rest, and there was nothing like a common
rally round one central figure. Apart from C.R., there is in fact no central
figure capable of being put forward for leadership in the entire circle of
aspirants for the post in Tamil Nadu. They form a pantheon of minor deities and
no more.
Tamil Aspirants
Kamaraj Nadar is ill-equipped for parliamentary work.
Bhaktavatsalam, though reputed to possess great aptitude in the art of pulling political
strings from behind, is not of sufficient stature as a public man to be
accepted for the leadership. C.N. Muthuranga Mudaliar who shot into prominence
through having been pitched upon as Chairman of the Reception Committee for the
Madras Congress by the late s. Srinivasa Iyengar, has remained all these years
just where he was placed. Not even that, to be more accurate. He broke out into
vituperative excess as few others did with the scarcely veiled intention of
fanning the C.R. controversy into fever heat. He fashioned the words “Revolution”
and “Quit India” into two big sticks to beat C.R. with, but the strain of the
effort seems to have thrown him into an exhaustion from which he looks like
taking a long time to recover. Revolutionary zest is easy to simulate if it
consists merely in hurling public tirades against opponents charged with not
being revolutionary. But if, beyond that, it has nothing to show except
inconsequence, the resulting picture is hardly one that will ever command
respect. This is Muthurangan’s plight, a rather pathetic one.
South Indian Kher
Most of the others in the field have no better chances. They
have ambition but no following. Nor has any of them any merit of that compulsive
sort (which is C.R.’s great distinction) with force enough to convert the
indifferent and the hostile into reluctant approval. For sheer goodness, A
Vaidyanatha Iyer is the most outstanding of incoming Tamil legislators. He
somehow reminds one of B.G. Kher. Years ago in Bombay I heard Kher spoken of
everywhere as an arbitrator par excellence, the one man to whom litigants and
other disputants could take their quarrels and be sure of absolutely fair and unbiased
decisions. Vaidyanatha Iyer is our Souoth Indian Kher. His name is a household
word for integrity. As he happens to be a Brahmin, he is not likely to find
much favour with the present bosses of the Tamil Nadu Congress organization who
are infested with the spirit of communalism to a deplorable extent. The Justice
Party of old propagated communalism from public platforms but accepted Brahmin
advisers for some very responsible tasks. Present-day Congress tradition is the
very reverse of this. They preach nationalism publicly, but make a free use of
communalism, within the Congress fold, to confound their rivals and secure
other personal ends.
*
* *
It is likely that not being able
to agree among themselves, Tamil Nadu legislators may think of handing over the
leadership to a son of Kerala. Madhava Menon is unlike Prakasam in that he has
no independent mass influence. Prakasam
might give trouble to his makers, but Madhava Menon would not survive the
attempt. Report has it however, that he is frightened of too much
responsibility, and may shy at it at the last minute.
Dr. Pattabhi
Of course the Andhras who have
been encouraged by some of their Tamil brothers to expect a rich political
harvest from the anti-C.R. campaign, will not take any rebuff to their hopes
lying down. In what way will they be able to influence the structure of the
ministry to be set up? Andhra politics to-day may be described as a seething
cauldron of intrigue, with Dr. Pattabhi standing by weirdly as a potential
concoctor of powerful recipes to be thrown in dexterously at the appropriate
moment for the achievement of surprising results. There is a see-saw battle for
supremacy going on incessantly between Prakasam and Pattabhi. Formerly, when Prakasam and Bulusu Sambamurthi
worked together in a comradely spirit, each covered the defects of the other,
and second-raters like Kala and Pallamraju were well integrated into their
proper positions. With the break-up of the Bulusu-Prakasam combination they
have all deserted to Dr. Pattabhi kicking at the ladder to which they owe such
prominence as they possess.
*
* *
A party of deserters is not
liked. Intense dislike of the Pattabhi
group was manifested by huge crowds at the time of the Andhra crowds at the
time of the Andhra P.C.C. meeting in Rajahmundry. They were compelled to
profess confidence in Prakasam. In the medley of Andhra politics, Gopala Reddi
is an intriguing figure, ever active and indefatigable. He fancies himself as
having over-reached the limits of lieutenancy and plays his own game.
Giri’s Chances
Giri has wisely stood out of all
squabbles. He has the merit of being
aware of his limitations. He has shown the wisdom of not hurting himself. The
negative virtue of having successfully avoided blunders tending to write him down
may presently acquire a positive rarity value and may push him far in the coming
days.—(SWATANTRA March 16, 1946) KHASA.
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