With the first meeting of the committee constituted by the DMK to draft the manifesto for the 2016 Assembly polls slated for August 2, party leader M. Karunanidhi’s promise for prohibition and concrete measures for socio-economic development are expected to figure prominently in the draft.
“People seem to be disenchanted with freebies. Instead they want creation of employment opportunities and a boost for agriculture sector, especially when fertile lands are being converted into housing plots,” said a senior leader of the DMK.
Recent elections in Tamil Nadu were fought on promises made by political parties in their manifestos and most of them were populist measures.
In 2006, DMK leader M. Karunanidhi stole the march over his political rivals when he included distribution of free colour television sets in the manifesto.
Though many questioned its feasibility, then Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram came to his rescue, saying the announcement was the “hero” of the election.
“Waiving of co-operative loans amounting to Rs 7,000 crore fetched votes than any other promise,” says a senior leader of the DMK. “Though we succeeded in fulfilling most of our promises, we failed in distributing two acres of land as there was no adequate land in the State,” he added.
'Distribution of free stoves and LPG cylinders, rice for Rs. 2 per kg, common curriculum in schools and two acres of land per family were some of other promises that dominated the election campaign in the past two assembly elections.
Mr. Karunanidhi’s announcement forced the AIADMK to come out with promises of free laptops, grinders and mixers in its 2011 election manifesto. With the DMDK in the alliance and a few more populist schemes, the AIADMK regained power.
Asked whether the promise of prohibition would secure votes for the DMK, Professor Ramu Manivannan, Head of the Department of the Political Science, Madras University, said people were fully aware that both the DMK and AIADMK had reaped a lot of benefits from liquor trade.
“People are no longer interested in such populist measures. Dravidian parties are pretending to provide an alternative, but they lack the inherent capability to offer political and ideological shift,” he said.
“Tamil Nadu is in the middle of a transition and people are aspiring for a viable political alternative. There is certainly a political vacuum but it cannot be immediately filled,” he said.
Recent elections in Tamil Nadu were fought on promises made by political parties in their manifestos
