Anti-BJP sentiments in Tamil Nadu have gone up multifold since 2019: VCK chief Thol. Thirumavalavan

DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) will sweep Tamil Nadu much like it did in the 2019 elections as the anti-Modi and anti-BJP sentiments have only gone up in the state, says Thol. Thirumavalavan, chief of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, a prominent Dalit party in Tamil Nadu.

Thirumavalavan, a Lok Sabha MP, told DH’s E.T.B. Sivapriyan in an interview that the I.N.D.I.A. bloc is a "pre-poll born, post-poll alliance", which has a single-point agenda of stopping the BJP from coming to power at the Centre in the 2024 elections.

Edited excerpts:

Q: VCK demanded three seats from the DMK alliance but settled for two seats. Why did you compromise on your demand?

A: It is not a compromise. Secular Progressive Alliance led by the DMK has 10 constituent parties and most of them are contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The DMK, which is the leader of the alliance in Tamil Nadu, decided to follow the 2019 seat-sharing formula for the 2024 polls, meaning all parties, including VCK, got the same number of seats they contested in 2019.

In fact, with VCK and MDMK contesting in three seats on their own symbol this election, the seats contested on the DMK symbol (Rising Sun) has come down to 22 in 2024 from 24 in 2019. That’s why I said there was no compromise. The alliance continues to be intact for the nation’s welfare.

Q: How do you see the DMK alliance performing in Tamil Nadu in Lok Sabha polls?

A: There are more reasons than one to be confident of a sweep in this election. The alliance strength is the first and foremost reason as people see the SPA as an ideologically committed bloc, which has registered four successive poll victories.

This is our fifth election together after all parties came on a single platform to fight for the state in 2017, and we continue to function as a cohesive unit.

As far as the Opposition camp is concerned, there is no clarity on which party stands with AIADMK and which party stands with the BJP. Our alliance’s support base has increased over the years as our commitment to the social justice ideology is unwavering.

Thirdly, welfare schemes like Free Breakfast Scheme, Rs 1,000 monthly assistance for women heads of families, free bus travel for women, and housing schemes for OBCs, and SC/ST, have increased people’s confidence in the DMK government.

Moreover, people are upset with the hate politics being propagated by the BJP in Tamil Nadu, saffronising saint-poet Thiruvalluvar, giving religious identity to renowned saint Vallalar, and Governor R N Ravi skipping references to B R Ambedkar, Periyar, equality, and social justice in his address to the Assembly. The state is witnessing an anti-BJP wave.

Q: There was an anti-Modi/anti-BJP wave in TN in 2019 resulting in the DMK alliance winning 38 of the 39 seats. Do you think such a wave exists this time as well?

A: Anti-BJP sentiments and the anti-BJP wave have increased multifold in Tamil Nadu over the past five years. BJP’s immature politics is the reason for such negative sentiments in the state.

They (BJP) are destroying Tamil identity and traditions, openly propagating hate politics, creating divisions in the society in the name of caste pride, criticising the social justice plank in the name of opposing Dravidian politics, and hurting the sentiments of OBC, and SC/ST communities in the name of opposing Periyar and his ideals.

Such things have exposed them before the people of Tamil Nadu and that’s why I say the anti-BJP wave has gone up, not down, by any measure.

Q: You say DMK’s welfare measures will bring votes for the alliance. But the opposition says a majority of the poll promises haven’t been implemented. Your comments?

A: The DMK says 90 per cent of the promises have been fulfilled and it is only the BJP that keeps alleging that promises haven’t been implemented. I haven’t even heard the AIADMK harping much on this issue.

The BJP has an ambition to attain the second position in the state (prime challenger to the DMK) and that’s why they are making such statements. I haven’t heard complaints about non-implementation of poll promises from the people.

Q: But the BJP says it has grown considerably in Tamil Nadu and the party’s vote share this election will witness a significant increase. Your comments?

A: The BJP is making multiple efforts to grow in Tamil Nadu. (En Mann, En Makkal) yatra, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s frequent visits to Tamil Nadu are some of the efforts that the BJP believes will benefit them in Tamil Nadu. But that is not the truth.

They are trying to create an illusion that the BJP is growing in Tamil Nadu through opinion polls that give the party 17 to 18 per cent vote share. Even a person who is not politically inclined is willing to believe such polls. The BJP thinks they can hoodwink the people of Tamil Nadu by creating an illusion that it is growing like they did in north India.

By doing this, the BJP thinks marginalised people will lean towards the party, but such things won’t work here. It is only in Tamil Nadu that the BJP gets exposed every time they try a gimmick. Their antics won’t work here, and they should understand this.

Q: You are part of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc and how do you think the bloc will perform across India? There seems to be huge differences between the alliance partners in states like West Bengal. Does this augur well for the alliance?

A: One thing that everyone should understand about I.N.D.I.A. bloc is that it is a pre-poll born, post-poll alliance. The alliance will take its full shape after the Lok Sabha polls as the goal of every constituent is to defeat the BJP and prevent the BJP from coming to power. Some parties are contesting on their own in some states, but the seats they win will add to the tally of the alliance. For example, every seat that Trinamool Congress or Congress or CPI(M) win in West Bengal will come to the bloc.

The I.N.D.I.A. bloc was formed to ensure that none of the Opposition parties supported the BJP after elections. A minute point of agreement is that we shouldn’t let the BJP come to power. We are contesting the elections with such an understanding.

Q: Does I.N.D.I.A. bloc have a strategy to defeat the BJP?

A: People’s voting patterns have changed over the years and in most states, it is the regional parties that hold the sway. The results change from state to state, and people prefer voting for regional parties in not just Assembly polls but also Lok Sabha elections. That’s why even Rajya Sabha has more representation by regional parties than national parties. So, the popularity of an individual does not matter. In Tamil Nadu, the fight is between the DMK and AIADMK, and in Andhra Pradesh, it is between TDP and YSRCP.

Q: As far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, will the main fight be between the DMK and AIADMK or will it be DMK versus BJP in 2024 due to the fact that it is a national election?

A: The BJP wants the contest to be BJP versus DMK. But in reality, the fight is between the DMK and the AIADMK as the latter has over 60 MLAs in the Assembly and the party is still connected to the roots.

Despite the death of J Jayalalithaa in 2016, the AIADMK’s vote bank hasn’t shrunk much and the party is still strong in Tamil Nadu. The electoral contest is between DMK and AIADMK, and the rest is media hype.

BJP, AIADMK, and PMK contested as one bloc in 2019, yet they lost the polls to the DMK alliance. But they are fragmented now, and I have reasons to believe that the BJP and AIADMK split on mutual terms.

The BJP knows it can’t match up to the DMK even with an alliance, so it asked the AIADMK to contest alone so that it can at least get minority votes.

As far as the BJP is concerned, it is trying to cobble up a coalition with smaller parties and project that it is growing in the state as it believes that such a strategy will help the party in 2026 polls.

Q: What are the major issues that the DMK-led alliance will raise in this election?

A: The BJP hasn’t walked the talk. The BJP said they will create 2 crore jobs a year and will bring back black money (stashed away in tax havens). Did they do it? The value of the rupee has been depreciating and the BJP has failed to control inflation and price rise. All that it did was to corporatise PSUs and Sanathanise the nation. They have created communal tensions across the country, and we will expose them before the public.

Q: The atrocities against SC/ST are on the rise in states like Tamil Nadu and parties like the VCK have been asking the government to control such incidents. Does being in alliance with the ruling party constrain the VCK in raising such issues and fight for the people?

A: We have raised our voice on atrocities against SC/ST people and we have never compromised on our core ideology. We have held protests and brought several issues to the attention of the ruling DMK. The issues arising out of caste differences are not something that were born after the DMK came to power. It has been here for centuries together.

We have had problems with some police officials and revenue department officials with an anti-Dalit psyche and we flagged that to the government.

These are not the issues over which we should walk out of the alliance whose larger goal is to defeat the BJP. That is why all democratic forces have come together. As a party, VCK will continue to be the voice of the voiceless.

Q: A new entrant to your party, Aadhav Arjun, has come under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate. Your comments?

A: Aadhav has been running a micro-financing firm even before he joined the VCK. He has been associated with us for the past two years and he has told us that such raids are common and there is nothing alarming. We are not affected by the raids.

Q: Film producer A K Jaffer Sadiq who was a DMK functionary has been arrested for his involvement in a drug cartel, and you have also expelled one of your party functionaries from your party. The BJP and AIADMK are making Sadiq’s involvement a major election issue. Will this have an impact?

A: Mohammed Salim who was a party functionary was expelled after his name cropped up in the media, though he hasn’t been mentioned in the FIR. Salim is related to Jaffer Sadiq, and we don't know whether he is involved (in the drug cartel) but we acted against him.

The BJP is trying to make this a big issue, but DMK cannot be singled out because drug smuggling is a nation-wide phenomenon. We keep hearing news that thousands of crores of worth drugs are seized from ports in Gujarat. Does it mean that the BJP is involved or is the BJP responsible? Such accusations won’t have any impact in elections.