TAMILNADU 

People Have High Expectations

                                                                                    A A Nainar

THE Democratic Progressive Alliance, headed by the DMK and supported by the left parties had won the state assembly elections held on May 8, 2006. A thirty-one member ministry led by chief minister M.Karunanidhi was sworn in on May 13. This is the fifth time, the octogenarian DMK stalwart Karunanidhi has assumed power in the state after fiercely campaigning for more than a month throughout the state.

Though the authoritarian and autocratic forces represented by the AIADMK were decisively defeated, the DMK as a political party also could not get a single majority on its own which is unique since 1967. The DMK won 96 (131) seats whereas the AIADMK could win only 61 (187) seats. As a pre-poll formation the DMK led front captured 164 seats, well above a clear two- thirds majority and the AIADMK could only bag 69 seats for their front.

The Congress party won 34 (49) seats and PMK won 18 (31) seats in the alliance. The CPI (M) won 9 out of the 13 seats it had contested and the CPI 6 out of 10. In the AIADMK led alliance MDMK could win only 6 (35) seats and the DPI won 2 (9) seats. The DMDK contesting independently against both these formations in 231 seats had won a single seat in Vriddachalam constituency where its founder leader, the cine-actor-turned-politician Vijaykant emerged victorious. In Thalli constituency where there was a four cornered contest among CPI (DPA), AIADMK, BJP and DMDK an independent had won the seat. The BJP led 12 party alliance drew a blank.

UNPOPULAR GOVT DISLODGED

The results had been well predicted not only by the psephologists, but judging the mood of the people any layman could have come to the conclusion as to which way the results would go. In the election campaign, there were lots of unhealthy practices indulged by political parties especially by the AIADMK to woo the voters. While most of the parties stuck to their poll manifestos the AIADMK leader Jayalalitha, day in and day out till May 6 afternoon, the day on which the campaign ended, went on doling out promises to give almost everything free to the people, the list included rice, houses, loan waivers, computers etc. The people understood the folly of the game.

Finally when the results were out on the May11, the people of Tamilnadu heaved a sigh of relief having got rid of an autocratic regime that devastated the lives of the people for a total of five years. The Jayalalitha led AIADMK government, which sacked 1.75 lakhs of government employees, that foisted criminal cases against political leaders, that brought infamous anti- religious conversion act, that had used POTA and wanted it to be continued for ever, that oppressed the transport, electricity and all other sections of the workers, that had inflicted hikes on all user charges for public consumption goods and services, that had implemented neo-liberal reforms to help the corporate bigwigs and the MNCs  and finally told the people that it had rolled back all these and would dole out lot of freebies after the elections with a kind heart, had the day of reckoning against its side in the historic May 8 elections.

SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN

Tremendous efforts were put in by all the parties in the electoral campaign explaining the need to dislodge the government. Apart from the painstaking efforts by the DPA leader Karunanidhi, the CPI (M) leaders Prakash Karat, Sitaram Yechury, R.Umanath, Manik Sarkar, K.Varadarajan and Brinda Karat, all Polit Bureau members, N.Sankaraiah, chairman of the Control Commission, N.Varadarajan, T.K.Rangarajan, W.R.Varadarajan, A.K.Padmanabhan and U.Vasuki all Central Committee members, Sudha Sundararaman, general secretary of AIDWA and all state level leaders of the CPI (M) were in the forefront of the campaign which contributed to the magnificent victory. CPI leaders A.B.Bardhan and D.Raja too had vigorously participated in the election campaign. From the Congress side, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and prime minister Manmohan Singh campaigned for the DPA candidates.

The CPI (M) faced the elections with  its own manifesto. However, the DMK manifesto which promised among other things rupees-two-a kilo-rice, 2 acre land for the landless, farm loan waiver and free colour TV for every poor household, had become the focal point of their campaign. While the AIADMK camp initially ridiculed the promises of the DMK manifesto, it had to make counter announcements departing from their original manifesto later during the campaign. During the final moments of the campaign the AIADMK leader had become so frustrated that she mendaciously told she would implement whatever has been promised in others’ manifestos too. People understood the clever game of the AIADMK and sounded a death knell to their five year rule.

Now that the new government is in place the expectations of the people are very high. The CPI (M) welcomed the new government, especially the signing of the executive order on the day it assumed office on giving rice at rupees-two-a-kilo, waiver of all overdue farm loans and two-eggs-a-week for the nutritious meal scheme to the students through out the state. The earnestness, with which the government had started, is quite encouraging. It is very unique that a minority government with the support of the left among others is ruling the state. Sustained inter action with the government and popular movements to realise the aspirations of the common man is the two pronged approach the CPI (M) would undertake in the days to come.

TAMILNADU ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS 2006