Many years back, Jana Krishnamurthy studied and practised law in Chennai. However, when he became a full-time politician, that took a backseat.
Krishnamurthy became a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) pracharak in 1944, and when the Jana Sangh merged with the Janata Party, he became a part of it. He was a founder national secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In 1985, he was elevated to the post of party vice-president. This, in short, is the political history of the man who is now the minister for law and justice.
Krishnamurthy has never won a Lok Sabha election. He contested from the south Chennai constituency twice, but was drubbed both times. He is not known for having a large following in Tamil Nadu.
However, he is an organisation man, respected by Home Minister L K Advani. Like most RSS leaders, he is a little distanced from elections. In fact, several important Assembly elections have taken place in Tamil Nadu, with Krishnamurthy away on party work elsewhere.
The law minister is known to be irascible. It is possible that he was expecting to be made party president when Bangaru Laxman was appointed to the post. Those who were present at the ceremony recall that Krishnamurthy had to be coaxed and cajoled to be a part of the celebrations.
A part of the problem is the BJP's own limited appeal in Tamil Nadu. In 1977, M G Ramachandran became the first chief minister to visit the Kollur Mookambika temple to thank the goddess. Before this, Tamil Nadu revelled in the political tradition of atheism.
Political observers also noted that Ramachandran was the first chief minister to take oath in the name of god, rather than his conscience, which was the practice earlier. The turning point in communal politics in the state was 1980--the year the Meenakshipuram conversions took place, and caste riots occurred in the Kanniyakumari district, with mostly Christians and Muslims being hammered.
In 1984, it was not the BJP, but the Hindu Munnani, that became the first Hindu party to win a seat in the legislative Assembly from the Nagarkoil district.
Militant Islamic activity in the Palani-Coimbatore region of Tamil Nadu was utilised by the Anna Dravida Munetra Kazagham (ADMK), led by Jayalalithaa, to take increasingly saffron positions. The BJP couldn't really stir up people on the 'persecuted Hindu' theme.
With the caste and communal card having been played to the hilt by the two Dravidian parties--the Dravida Munetra Kazagham (DMK) and the ADMK--it was hard for the BJP to find a plan that worked.
As a result, the organisation withered away. In Tamil Nadu, the ADMK enjoys more credibility among the Hindu Munnani and the Hindu Makkal Katchi than the BJP.
Under such circumstances, there is not much a politician like Krishnamurthy can do. Having become the law minister, he is likely to have reached the pinnacle of his political career.
