Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) leader S. Ramadoss on Sunday ruled out any alliance with either the DMK or the AIADMK in the Lok Sabha election, and rejected a suggestion that the recent resolution in the State Assembly seeking a referendum for ‘Tamil Eelam’ would draw his party towards the ruling AIADMK.
Dr. Ramadoss, who did not express his views on the resolution since it was adopted last week, described it as just a “big drama” in a conversation with The Hindu .
The PMK is also an advocate of ‘Tamil Eelam’, and there was speculation that like other pro-Eelam parties, it may also move closer to the AIADMK ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. However, Dr Ramadoss ruled out the possibility of joining any alliance.
“Both the DMK and the AIADMK are responsible for the present state of affairs in Sri Lanka. They did nothing when there was a dire need. If Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has moved the resolution with an eye on the polls, the DMK miserably failed in its efforts to save the Tamil though it was part of the Congress-led UPA,” he said.
The PMK leader said four decades of Dravidian rule had pushed the State to “permanent backwardness” in the fields of education, agriculture and other socio-economic development.
“All political parties, including the PMK, helped them come to power and in the process, we denied the disenchanted voters an alternative. I think the time has come to remove Dravidian rule. The two Dravidian parties account for 45 per cent of the vote and we have to target the rest who are looking for a change,” he said.
Asked how he could expect the people to vote for his party as it represented a particular community and often fell back on it whenever there was a crisis, he said though it was true that he projected the interests of Vanniyars in the beginning, the PMK had transformed itself into a political party representing the interests of every section of the society.
“We are constantly talking about the crisis in the agriculture sector and conversion of fertile lands into real estate. We put pressure on the DMK government to introduce a common curriculum in schools. We have been demanding closure of TASMAC liquor shops and abrogation of freebies. Will you say these issues concern only Vanniyars?” he said.
Dr. Ramadoss said it was political parties and media sought to “confine” his party into the capsule of caste politics. “Can you show me a single party which has fielded a candidate in a constituency where his or her community is not a majority? All political parties have hidden agendas, but I speak openly about Vanniyars. But I am for making a Dalit the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. We have presented shadow budgets with alternative proposals for education, agriculture and other sectors,” he said.
