For 15 years, during 1999-2014, DMK was a vital constituent of the Central government. The considerable number of MPs – 12 in 1999, 16 in 2014 and 18 in 2009 in the Lok Sabha – won for the prominent party places in the Central cabinet. Murasoli Maran as Commerce and Industry minister played an important role in the Vajpayee government.
The timely switch to partner with the Congress in 2004 won for the party even more considerable clout in the coalition governments of UPA-1 and UPA-2. The Manmohan Singh government gave liberal representation to Tamil Nadu, of over a dozen ministers for the DMK and Congress MPs from Tamil Nadu. Clever Karunanidhi, even while enjoying six berths for his party in the UPA denied such representation to the Congress in the state cabinet.
Anti BJP, anti centre
For J Jayalalithaa, this significant representation of DMK was a thorn in her flesh. A definite anti-Centre stance characterised the party’s relationship with the Centre, reminiscent of today’s Mamata Banerjee’s. Even after she and her allies won all the 39 seats in the Lok Sabha in the 2014 elections, this stance continued.
An added feature was the DMK reverting to its earlier anti-Centre stance. This pushed the AIADMK leadership towards the BJP. In the recent elections, the familiar pattern of the fortunes alternating between AIADMK and DMK is again seen: in contrast to the AIADMK and its allies winning all the 39 seats in 2014, this time the DMK and its allies had won 38 out of 39 Lok Sabha seats. It was a total rout for AIADMK.
This will continue to put Tamil Nadu into a severe disadvantage: during 2014-19 the state had just one minister of state in the Central ministry. Today Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh may continue to have poor representations due to the dismal record of BJP and its allies in these states.
Of greater worry is the virulent anti-BJP stance of the different political outfits in the state. IE pointed to the state earning the odium of being the agitation leader among all the states and to the propensity to oppose any and every project mooted by the Centre; like the elevated highway project, the gas pipeline project, oil exploration, the Neutrino project several highway and other development projects. A pro-LTTE sentiment still persists for over a decade after the demise of Prabhakaran. Powerful orators like Vaiko lead agitations against visits of Prime Minister Modi. In this background, the state has failed to attract significant Central investments.
The power of money…
Money power has played a crucial role in Tamil Nadu. The state leads in the Election Commission’s seizure of money and materials purported to be distributed to voters. A leading party functionary indicated around Rs. 2000 was allocated per voter for the assembly seats and Rs. 200 per voter for the MP seat. Election success was crucial for the survival of the AIADMK government and for the DMK capturing power and pelf in Delhi.
The lawmakers have liberally voted themselves with huge perks and right to directing local area development projects. Each MP is allotted Rs. 25 crore @ Rs. 5 crore per year for local area development. There is no close scrutiny on the need, quality or delivery of the expenses made so liberally. Modi should look closely at this privilege and try to direct the allocation of around Rs 20,000 crore over five years and more purposefully for Primary education and health schemes.
Severe drubbing has been received by S Ramadoss of PMK, Vijayakanth of DMDK, Seeman of Naam Tamizhar Katchi and Kamal Haasan of Makkal Neethi Maiyam. None of these parties eligible is for recognition by the Election Commission.
Amit Shah and Modi targetted and succeeded in winning UP, Bihar and the Hindi belt in 2014. Through such focus they have made deep inroads into West Bengal and Odisha in 2019; but the south (except Karnataka) continues to keep the BJP away. One can expect this duo to focus their attention to the south as a priority. But the task will not be easy with the well-entrenched Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu and the Communist/Congress in Kerala.
