TN Governor’s walkout, INDIA bloc’s Delhi conundrum, and TVK’s internal strife #87

Welcome to this week’s Powertrip, a political newsletter exclusively curated for TNM and NL subscribers by Dhanya Rajendran, Shabbir Ahmed, and Pooja Prasanna. This week, we cover the annual face-off between Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi and Chief Minister MK Stalin at the first Assembly session of the year. We found that the government caught wind of a certain plan of the Governor’s, and refused to air the live-telecast of his speech. We also bring you the latest update on the leadership tussle in Karnataka between Chief Minister Siidaramaiah and Dy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. The Congress high command doesn’t seem to think the issues in Karnataka require their involvement now, as they face more important battles in Delhi, where the INDIA bloc’s unity of the general elections won’t be seen in the upcoming Assembly elections, with many in the Congress strongly opposing an alliance with AAP..Inside TrackExclusive stories, for your eyes only.How MK Stalin thwarted Governor RN Ravi’s plansThe face-off between Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi and Chief Minister MK Stalin over playing the National Anthem at the beginning of the Tamil Nadu Assembly session, and the former staging a dramatic walkout from the Assembly, has almost become an annual affair. For the past few years, Governor Ravi has been requesting the state government and the Assembly Speaker to play the National Anthem during the Governor’s address at the beginning of the session. However, the state government stuck to its convention of playing the state song “Tamil Thaai Vazhthu” at the beginning and the National Anthem at the end. But what was intriguing was the Governor accusing the state government of indulging in “total censorship” of the Tamil Nadu Assembly proceedings and linking it to the Emergency days.Sources told TNM that the Governor was angry with the Tamil Nadu government for blocking the live broadcast of the Governor’s address on January 6. Usually, the live broadcast of the Governor’s address is aired on the state-owned DD Tamil channel and, additionally, on the Tamil Nadu Assembly’s official YouTube channel.On January 6, when Governor Ravi arrived at the Tamil Nadu Assembly, he was received by Speaker Appavu, escorted to the Assembly hall, and the House was convened by playing the “Tamil Thaai Vazhthu.” However, unlike in the past, none of this was aired live on either DD Tamil or the YouTube channel. The Governor waited for 5-6 minutes, then staged a walkout and alleged censorship. Why was the live broadcast of the Governor's address blocked? The buzz in the corridors of the Tamil Nadu Assembly was that the state government got wind of Governor Ravi’s plans.Sources say that the Governor was prepared to sing the National Anthem himself at the start of his address on live TV, and this was the reason the broadcast of Assembly proceedings was off-air for some time on that day. Later, when asked, the Speaker said that the disruption in the live broadcast could have been due to a technical glitch. .Unity at what cost? The INDIA bloc’s Delhi gambleIn the run up-to the Delhi Assembly elections, a section of the INDIA bloc allies were adamant that the AAP and Congress present a united front, despite strong resistance from Congress. The elections were seen as a crucial battleground, with the ruling AAP looking to retain power, and the Congress in a precarious position, struggling to retain its grassroots and build on its position after being out of power for over a decade. A faction of the INDIA bloc, led by TMC’s Mamata Banerjee, was keen on ensuring that the opposition did not appear divided and pressured Congress to act magnanimously and consider an alliance with AAP. Mamata Banerjee and other leaders believe a fractured opposition would only benefit the BJP, which has been consolidating its voter base in Delhi. In an effort to appease its allies and maintain the unity of the bloc, Congress participated in alliance discussions, but these talks ultimately caused more harm than good.Internal surveys conducted by Congress revealed a significant trust deficit among voters regarding Arvind Kejriwal and suggested that an alliance with AAP would not benefit the party in any meaningful way. "AAP is essentially Congress plus BJP," a senior Congress leader remarked, emphasising the confusion caused by public posturing during the negotiations. This confusion led to the loss of some ground workers and supporters to AAP. More critically, several donors shifted their financial support to AAP, creating a serious financial crisis for Congress. Now, with Rahul Gandhi having started the campaign, the party hopes it will help them regain some lost ground..Siddaramaiah vs Shivakumar: A fight Congress won’t mediateThe leadership tussle within the Congress party in Karnataka refuses to fade away. The proxy battle between supporters of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar continues to play out in the open. Adding fuel to the fire are calls for a Dalit CM to replace Siddaramaiah, a move that Shivakumar's supporters firmly believe is a ploy to deny their leader his chance at the top job.While the ongoing feud provides ample fodder for news channels and political analysts, the Congress high command appears unperturbed. A source close to the Gandhis revealed that the leadership is focused on larger issues, including the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections, and does not see the Karnataka situation as serious enough to warrant intervention. “The message has already been sent to both leaders — there’s no need for concern at this stage. Their supporters are simply trying to stay relevant and demonstrate their loyalty,” the source explained. For now, the high command seems content to let the situation simmer, confident it won’t boil over into a full-blown crisis..TVK audio leaks, Vijay unperturbedIs there an internal party feud within the newly formed Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam as well? The answer seems to be yes, as there appear to have been differences among the strategy team and the second-line leadership of the party over various issues. Insiders say these issues have been discussed and the differences ironed out.However, one thing that has constantly bothered Vijay is the leaking of internal discussions and strategic decisions taken in closed-door meetings to the media. He has also warned second-line leaders of the party about this issue.Adding to this, alleged audio conversations of TVK party strategist John Arokiasamy have surfaced online, in which the party General Secretary Bussy Anand is accused of projecting himself more than Vijay. Sources say that conversations that occurred at different points in time have been stitched together and are now being used to portray a rift between Vijay and General Secretary Bussy Anand.However, Vijay is not perturbed by the audio leaks and has instructed his team to prepare a plan to hit the ground, starting with meeting the villagers protesting against the Parandur airport. Sources also indicate that at least 10 more such audio files are likely to be released in due course, targeting John Arokiasamy, who has been preparing a solid political roadmap for Vijay..DMK’s motto: With us, but not against usTalking about political strategy, you read it first here on Powertrip, DMK’s internal political strategy unit, PEN, has signed a pact with Robin Sharma’s Showtime Consulting, and this Pongal season, Showtime has commenced its work. As we pointed out earlier, Showtime will be consulting exclusively on the creative side of DMK’s 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly campaign, focusing on social media themes, online campaign concepts, targeted ads, and more.However, the DMK is also planning to rope in I-PAC. Sources say that Rishi Raj Singh, co-founder of I-PAC, met with the top leadership of PEN last week. One of the reasons DMK is keen on retaining I-PAC is that the agency worked for the party in the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. Another key reason is to prevent a consultant like Rishi from working for their rivals, such as AIADMK and others.Insiders reveal that the DMK is aware of Rishi Raj Singh’s expertise in assessing constituencies, preparing ground reports, deploying party assets, tracking local leaders, organising mass outreach programmes, conducting interactive voice response (IVR) campaigns, and more. Additionally, Rishi’s familiarity with the strengths and weaknesses of the DMK makes it even more important for the party to keep him close.Then the question is who is going to consult for AIADMK? .Zero HourA political story of public importance.After New Beef Ban In One Of India’s Poorest States, Cow Herders, Meat Merchants & Hotels Plunge Into Distress.In India’s sixth-poorest state by per capita income, thousands who depend on the cattle economy—including farmers, cow herders, meat merchants and restaurants—have plunged into economic distress after chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on 4 December 2024 expanded a ban on slaughtering cattle and selling it around religious places to eating and serving beef in public. 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TN Governor’s walkout, INDIA bloc’s Delhi conundrum, and TVK’s internal strife #87

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