The Parliamentary elections scheduled for next year would actually be a contest between the fundamentalist image of Bharathiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and his other image of being a non-corrupt and able administrator, according to Gandhiya Makkal Iyyakkam (GMI) founder president Tamilaruvi Manian.
Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, Mr. Manian said that the Congress had no moral authority to blame Mr. Modi for the 11-year-old Godhra riots when it was equally charged of having incited the 1984 anit-Sikh riots. “It must be appreciated that there had not been a single incident of communal clash in Gujarat after the 2002 Godhra riots,” he said.
The prime aim of GMI, a forum fighting for social cause and not a political party, was to unseat the “corrupt” Congress government in the Centre.
To do so, there is no choice but to attempt the creation of an alternative front comprising BJP, Vaiko’s Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) and actor Vijayakant’s Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), he added.
While Vaiko was ready to ally with BJP on certain conditions such as assurance to protect the welfare of minorities, Vijayakant remains undecided.
“I have explained to Mr. Vijayakant the problems he might face by allying with parties like Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. I have full confidence that he would shun those two parties and join the alternative front,” Mr. Manian said.
Asked why he chose the BJP to lead the alternative front and not the communists, he said: “My first choice is always the communists. But the problem is that the communists think too high of themselves despite possessing a meager vote base of just six per cent of votes across the country. They also prefer to knock the doors of either the DMK or the AIADMK than joining hands with other parties.”
Explaining steps taken by him to rope in Pattali Makkal Katchi into the alternative front, he said that the party’s founder S. Ramadoss was firm on contesting the elections individually with the support of some caste based organizations.
“Mr. Ramadoss is confident of winning at least five Lok Sabha seats and he says that he would not hesitate to support Modi post elections,” Mr. Manian added.
