Caste outfits to the fore in the land of Periyar

The Mudaliar Peravai, an association of the forward Mudaliar community, converted itself into a political party under the name New Justice Party (NJP), headed by former AIADMK MP A C Shanmugam.

The Yadava Mahasabha has now transformed into the Makkal Tamil Desiya Katchi, started by S Kannappan, former AIADMK treasurer and a Minister in the erstwhile Jayalalitha cabinet.

Moovendar Munnetra Kazhagam is patronised by the backward Thevar community, a caste that has solidly supported the AIADMK till now.

If these caste outfits are taking a new name to become parties, it is only to escape the wrath of the Election Commission which is not expected to register them as parties if the names of castes figure in them.

Shanmugam blames the DMK and the AIADMK for the growth of caste-based parties. All caste associations got emboldened to start their own outfits after seeing the success of the PMK in the company of one of these two Dravidian parties in the last two Lok Sabha elections, he said.

He points out that PMK tasted great political success and consequent recognition in the state after the 1998 Lok Sabha polls in which it won four seats in alliance with the AIADMK.

Again in the 1999 Lok Sabha elections, the party emerged victorious in five Lok Sabha seats, but this time in combination with the DMK.

“If the Vanniyars, who are already cornering most of the benefits of the 20 per cent reservation given in education and employment for `Most Backward Communities’ in the state, can become successful in the electoral front also, why can’t other castes do the same too?’, he says.

Shanmugam claims that if all the caste-based parties joined hands to contest the poll on a single platform, they can sweep the polls.

He is working for a Third Front, with Tamil Maanila Congress president G K Moopanar heading it. If TMC was not willing to cast its lot with the new front, his party would form one with the help of other parties, he says.

Kannappan is also of the view that a Third Front is the need of the hour to replace the two major parties in the state — DMK and AIADMK.

Dalits are also contributing to the multiplicity of political parties in the state. At least two major Dalit leaders, Dr K Krishnasamy of Puthiya Tamizhagam and R Thirumavalavan of the Dalit Panthers of India, claim that their parties will play a major role in the next polls.

However, PMK, in a bid to erase its image of being a Vanniyar-backed party, is attempting to penetrate the southern districts where there is no significant Vanniya population.

The party has been conducting constituency-wise conferences in all 234 Assembly segments in the state.

PMK founder Dr S Ramdoss claims that its conferences in the southern districts have been successful, and that it can no more be described as a small party.

“Ours will be the second largest party after next year’s Assembly polls and will be the ruling party after the 2006 election,’ he contends.

He denies that his party’s support base is only among Vanniyars. “Wait till the election. We will be fielding 25 per cent of our candidates from the southern districts”, he says.

Chief Election Commissioner M S Gill had expressed concern over the growth of caste-based outfits in the state during his recent visit.

It’s a million dollar question whether these new outfits will have any impact among the electorate in next year’s assembly polls.

All caste associations got emboldened to start their own outfits after seeing the success of the PMK in the company of one of these two Dravidian parties in the last two Lok Sabha elections.