No politician has played his cards as cleverly as Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) leader S. Ramadoss has over the years. Since 1998, he has almost always ensured he is part of the winning alliance in Tamil Nadu. His calculations went wrong only once — in the 2009 Lok Sabha poll, when he joined the AIADMK front. The party lost all the seven constituencies it contested; he is now again in the DMK front. The PMK is contesting 30 seats, after surrendering one seat to the Congress. Mr. Ramadoss spoke to B. KOLAPPAN . Excerpts:
How do you see the prospects of the DMK alliance in the election?
The DMK-led Democratic Progressive Alliance will sweep the polls and Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi will become the Chief Minister of the State for another term.
Poll surveys, however, predict victory for the AIADMK front.
I have no faith in all these surveys. We must look into the background and credibility of those who have conducted the surveys. Whether it is Tamil weeklies or the English media from Delhi, they are keen on a change in Tamil Nadu so that a person representing their community could become the Chief Minister. In 2009, these surveys predicted a victory for the AIADMK alliance, but the election results proved otherwise. Even in developed countries like the U.S. and UK, the poll surveys do not reflect the reality on the ground.
After 1984, Tamil Nadu has always seen a change of regime after every election.
You forget the trends in the State. The Congress won the elections between 1952 and 1962, till the DMK won in 1967. After that, the DMK was in power till 1977. M.G. Ramachandran became the Chief Minister in 1977 after the AIADMK was elected to power in 1977. He was the Chief Minister for 13 years. This shows that people of Tamil Nadu will vote for change, but they have no problem in returning a government if it has implemented welfare programmes and fulfilled its promises. The DMK has fulfilled its promises and in the rural areas every family has been benefited by the schemes of the DMK government. The free colour TV scheme, Rs.1 per kg rice scheme, medical insurance scheme and the free concrete housing scheme have benefited people. The people vote for change to express their anger against the rulers. Now they have no reason to do that. Ms. Jayalalithaa has been the Chief Minister of the State twice. Can she claim credit for any good schemes and seek votes on the basis of her government's achievements? The AIADMK front is in total disarray. One leader of the alliance party is not ready to mention the name of another leader during the election.
The PMK and the VCK have come together for the first time in the elections.
I have been advocating unity between the two communities since I strongly believe that it will help solve a lot of problems. Our combination will ensure the victory of the DMK front in over 10 districts in the State.
But the AIADMK has succeeded in roping in the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) led by actor Vijayakant to offset the effects of your combination.
The DMDK could secure a decent vote share only when it contested alone in the 2006 Assembly election and in the 2009 Lok Sabha poll and projected Mr. Vijayakant as the Chief Ministerial candidate as an alternative to both the DMK and the AIADMK. Since the party has now become part of an alliance, it is very unlikely to get the votes it polled in the previous elections. Moreover, the behaviour of Mr. Vijayakant during the election campaign has already dented his image.
Do you agree with the argument of Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi that an Emergency-like situation prevails in Tamil Nadu?
I strongly believe that the Election Commission has taken sides and its actions seem to be in favour of the AIADMK camp. During the elections only the officials involved in election work will be under the control of the Election Commission. Now the EC had brought the entire State administration under its thumb. You cannot see these kinds of restrictions in Kerala or in West Bengal.
