One of the most vocal critics of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) chief and prominent Dalit leader in Tamil Nadu, Thol. Thirumavalavan says all constituents of the DMK-led alliance should ensure that “secular votes” do not get split in the April 6 elections. In an interview with Deccan Herald's E T B Sivapriyan, Thirumavalavan, Lok Sabha MP from Chidambaram constituency, spoke about BJP's plans in Tamil Nadu, the “silent wave” against AIADMK government, and his disappointment with the DMK on its “hard stand” in seat-sharing. Excerpts:
Q: VCK did not get the number of seats it sought in the DMK alliance but your party went ahead and signed a deal on Thursday. How and why was the compromise arrived at?
A: I will not call it a compromise. I was convinced that VCK should stay in the DMK alliance for a slew of reasons. VCK and DMK have been working together for the past four years on a number of issues like NEET. We had been campaigning against the AIADMK and BJP governments by projecting DMK President M K Stalin as our Chief Ministerial face. Our agenda of protecting social justice and the Constitution from the BJP government was accepted by the people. When we sat across the table for negotiations, the only problem was numbers. I was very clear that mere numbers will not decide our alliance. We cannot dump our agenda of four years just because of a few seats. VCK got just six seats and it is a loss only for the party. But our presence in the alliance is a gain to the people of Tamil Nadu and to the society. If there is a split in the alliance, the secular votes will be scattered which would only help the ruling alliance. If VCK had come out of the alliance on the basis of numbers, it would have sent a wrong signal to other constituents of the DMK combine. We are disappointed with the numbers and there is no doubt about it, but we decided to stay with the DMK for the larger good of the state.
Q: Why is it important to keep the DMK alliance intact?
A: It is very imperative to avoid any split of the secular votes because the ruling alliance is indulging in caste and communal politics. AIADMK, BJP, PMK are on a mission to create social unrest in Tamil Nadu. The way they hurriedly passed a Bill to provide 10.5 percent internal reservation to Vanniyars within the 20 percent reservation for MBCs is a classic example of the dangerous politics they are playing for electoral gains. And for VCK, we firmly believe we are on the winning side for the first time in assembly elections. The six seats that we got in the DMK alliance are not just seats. Since our alliance's victory is assured, all six candidates will be legislators.
Q: Will VCK's decision to stay in the alliance despite being disappointed force other parties like Congress to desist from walking out?
A: I want the DMK alliance to stay intact and that is my intention. But I cannot tell Congress or the Left parties to just accept what is offered and stay in the alliance just because I did. They can talk to DMK leaders and convince them to accept the numbers that they demand. But my message to all alliance partners is to keep in mind the cause for which the combine has been fighting for the past four years. My friendly advice to them is to prevent any split of secular votes.
Q: Is the DMK's hard stand that it will not contest in less than 180 seats justified?
A: I acknowledge that the DMK's stand has hurt alliance partners. I was hurt at the number of seats that were offered to me. But if I put myself in DMK's shoes and think, I think the decision is logical. The DMK has had an experience of running a minority government from 2006 to 2011 and it may feel that not being in a majority prevented it from delivering good governance due to too much interference from parties like PMK. So, the DMK feels they need to secure a majority on their own without depending on allies. Secondly, the DMK may want its strength in the assembly to be anywhere above 150 not just to come to power but to ensure its tenure is smooth. It may want to win with a thumping majority. And the reason for this is the BJP, which is unscrupulous in its ways to topple democratically-elected governments by buying legislators. It is the fear of the BJP's undemocratic methods that has forced a party like DMK to take a hard stand with alliance partners. The DMK may have had the same fears that the BJP may topple its government if it has just 130 MLAs as against the magic number of 118. The BJP does not respect any democratic traditions and its actions contradict what is said in the constitution.
Q: Why blame the BJP for DMK's decision?
A: I am blaming them because the BJP has toppled democratically-elected government using its power. They did it in Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka, and established their governments in states where they did not win elections. I have enough reasons to blame the BJP.
Q: BJP believes it has grown in Tamil Nadu in the past two years. Your comments?
A: I do not agree. The BJP has no base here in Tamil Nadu. It is a known fact that they sense an opportunity to make inroads into Tamil Nadu due to the absence of charismatic leaders like M Karunanidhi and J Jayalalithaa. BJP's tactics never found favour in Tamil Nadu when the two were alive, and even now people have not accepted the party. The BJP's aim is not just to finish off the two Dravidian parties but also to establish communal politics in Tamil Nadu, a state which is known for communal harmony. They want to capture power in Tamil Nadu and lay the foundation for their long-term strategy in the April 6 elections. By being in an alliance with AIADMK, they want to gobble up the party. BJP is the only party that poaches people from its own alliance partners. They are not a force in Tamil Nadu as of now, but the Edappadi K Palaniswami government has given them enough space to take roots in Tamil Nadu just to hide its corruption. BJP senses an opportunity to grow in Tamil Nadu just to saffronise the state.
Q: The 2019 Lok Sabha elections were won on the anti-BJP and anti-Modi plank. There is an opinion that the sentiments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the state are no longer strong. Do you agree?
A: Sentiments against the Prime Minister and the BJP are still prevalent in Tamil Nadu. People in the state do not hate Modi or BJP just for their communal stand. Political parties oppose them ideologically but the common man does not believe in the BJP because of its anti-people policies. The common man feels every law is against him, every move of this government like demonetisation affects him. It is not just the BJP's communal ideology but also its inability to govern the country that is making it unacceptable to the people.
Q: There is an opinion among people that the anti-incumbency against the AIADMK government is largely missing. Is it true?
A: There is a silent wave against the AIADMK government that has ruled the state for 10 years. People may not be averse to EPS as an individual, but they are dead against his being subservient to the BJP. People understand that he has no say in many issues and he just signs on the dotted line drawn by the BJP. The anger against governments is usually invisible, and people display their anger only when they go to polling stations.
Q: You oppose BJP's policies vehemently. And you are one of the stringent critics of the BJP. Any special reason?
A: It is simple. I am against their ideology. BJP uses spirituality for political gains. They use religion and devotion for political gains. They have neither devotion nor love for Hinduism. They just want to use religion for electoral gains. They are my ideological opponents. I will continue to oppose their policies and communalism.
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