Having an ‘in-house’ television channel always comes in handy during the polls, especially in Tamil Nadu. If AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa held forth about her path-breaking schemes for the self-help groups and progressive programmes for women on Jaya TV last week, then it was the turn of DMK president M. Karunanidhi to exploit the power of Sun TV, the channel run by grand nephew Dayanidhi Maran’s family .

Millions of Sun TV viewers were in for a sumptuous ‘feast’ on Tamil New Year’s day today, when the DMK patriarch shared the dais with four top Tamil poets at a poets’ meet. Only his poetic rendition was full of political rhetoric, calling on Tamils to rise from their ‘political stupor’. He went on to list the astounding promises in his party’s poll manifesto, the UPA government’s achievements, his own party’s past performance and the ‘repression’ unleashed by Jayalalithaa.

Popular lyricists Vaali, Vairamuthu, Abdul Rehman and Pa. Vijay joined in, turning sycophantic and using their poetic skills to praise the DMK chief. Vijay described Karunanidhi as ‘‘an embodiment of Tamil language and culture’’ and went on to equate him to the ‘‘splendour and grandeur’’ of Niagra Falls, Eiffel Tower and the Taj Mahal.

Flattery and adulation flew fast and thick. If Karunanidhi at 83 was like ‘‘the Everest that did not ever rest’’, then the American satellites ‘‘circling in space were now revolving around the DMK headquarters ‘Anna Arivalayam’ (where the Sun TV office is located)’’ due to the efforts and enterprise of Union Minister for Communication and IT Dayanidhi Maran, Vijay eulogised.

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