30.1.13

Amma's vote bank politics?


The AIADMK government’s backing of Muslim groups and their objections to actor Kamal Haasan’s trilingual film ‘Vishwaroopam’ is perceived by political observers as a move to consolidate the Muslim vote bank in Tamil Nadu. With the 2014 Lok Sabha elections barely a year away, the ruling AIADMK hopes to shed the last tinges of saffron and retain a chunk of the 7% Muslim votes it had gained in the 2011 assembly election, for the first time in many years.
In the past, Muslim voters in the state have leaned heavily on the DMK. But, with her recent announcement that her party would neither align with the Congress nor the BJP for the Lok Sabha polls, chief minister and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa appears to have achieved some success in winning over the community. Sizeable Muslim votes could help swing the fortunes of political parties in at least six Lok Sabha constituencies in the state. While the DMK too issued a statement in support of Kamal Haasan, three days after the controversy broke out, the party significantly toned down its criticism of the stand of the Muslim groups on the film.
Political observers point out a that the AIADMK government adopted a similar approach towards Muslim protests against another Tamil film, ‘Thuppakki’. “She heard our objections and asked the home secretary to sort out the issue. We were impressed by her approach,” said a Muslim leader, who was part of a delegation which met Jayalalithaa.
Said Tamil writer Manushyaputhiran, “The AIADMK leader has been trying to woo minority voters as they can help in a few constituencies.” The DMK, he pointed out, always tried to woo minority votes from a secular plank. “Now Jayalalithaa appears determined to take it away from the DMK-Congress alliance by distancing herself from the BJP. The recent appreciation from leaders of Muslim groups indicates her success in this attempt,” he said, adding that the arguments of state advocate general A Navaneethakrishnan in the Madras high court in the Vishwaroopam case clearly reflected Muslim sentiments.
Of the 39 Lok Sabha constituencies in Tamil Nadu, Muslim presence is sizeable in six, including Vellore, Ramanathapuram, Nagapattinam, Central Madras, Tenkasi and Tirunelveli. The AIADMK’s alliance with Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (the political avatar of the Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam) proved a success during the 2011 assembly elections. Observed professor and political commentator Bernard D Samy, “Jayalalithaa is trying hard to change her right wing image by maintaining a distance from both the Congress and the BJP.” Her participation in Ramzan and Christmas celebrations with community leaders and her government’s ban on Vishwaroopam clearly show her efforts to appease the minorities, especially the Muslims, he said.

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