Oppn scrambling to unseat ‘Amma’ in Tamil Nadu

Accidental as it may seem, a set of well-thought out observations on the touchy issue of public welfare measures seem to be crystallising in Tamil Nadu, due for polls soon. The regional media, with its ear to the ground, has begun reporting in right earnest about the various streams of points and counterpoints echoing across the corridors of power as also in the war rooms of the main opposition parties, DMK in particular.

The reasons are not far to seek. Already, the crushing impact of liberal freebies (by way of TV sets, wet grinders, table fans, mixies etc) doled out by the AIADMK government in its current five- year tenure from 2011 on the state finances is a foregone conclusion. Beginning with the DMK rule of 2006, a whopping sum of Rs 10,000 crore seems to have been expended on this move over a decade, further adding to the state’s ballooning debt of Rs 2.15 lakh crore.

Unsustainable, it surely is, and this seems to have woken up some analysts who are pressing for corrective measures. Reports say, the present government, having gone too far, (even to the extent of affixing Amma stickers on couples’ foreheads during mass marriages) may yet up the ante by coming up with more such schemes. The opposition DMK is said to be proposing ‘genuine welfare schemes’ aimed at broadening the category of beneficiaries and for this, a set of sector specialists has been roped in.

For the others, it is business as usual. The 15th Assembly elections, as of now, seem to be destined to see a multi-cornered fight with the ruling party, AIADMK, still ahead in the popularity ratings by a narrow margin. The People’s Welfare Front a rump of largely has-been political parties like Vaiko’s MDMK, the Communist duo and VCK led by Dalit leader Thirumavalavan has kept the pressure on by saying the State has been ruined and coalition politics would be the only alternative to this.

As of now, none is betting in their favour, which includes the maverick actor Vijayakanth, who is yet to announce whom is he supporting - the BJP or the others. Analysts make a special note of the ‘missed opportunities’ of the Congress which lost power to the Dravidian outfits in 1967 and has not returned to the seat of power for nearly 50 years ever since.

Having missed exploiting the schism between the two groups of AIADMK in 1989, post- MGR’s demise, they lost one more chance in 2006 when a truncated DMK firmly pushed its case for solo rule and even refused to accommodate the national party in its cabinet, all the while depending on it for outside support. By 2011, however, disillusionment had set in among the Tamil populace which resulted in their ouster, followed by the decimation of the Congress in the 2014 elections.

The two-step approach of both these battle-scarred parties, the first being 2016 and the next 2019 Lok Sabha polls would however continue to be watched. The BJP, battling the rising tide of student anger and resentment against its moves in Hyderabad and Delhi, has kept its attack mostly on the People’s Welfare Front, for obvious reasons.

In tune with the ‘anti-national’ tag they are liberally smearing their opponents with, the local leaders have asked pointed questions about the silence of the other leaders on the ‘spreading menace’ of Islamic extremism in TN and parts of Kerala. To each his own seems the mood at present as the election announcement is eagerly anticipated by all in the fray.