CHENNAI: Se Ku Tamilarasan, a veteran politician and a four-time MLA, is one of the prominent voices for the cause of the Dalit communities. He recently announced an alliance with Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) and his Republican Party of India (RPI) has fielded candidates for Kancheepuram parliamentary seat and three other assembly bypoll seats. Tamilarasan explains why he decided to join hands with Haasan.
You are a four-time MLA and ardent supporter of Jayalalithaa. Then why did you choose to enter into an alliance with MNM?
In the political vacuum caused by the demise of Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi, we believe the MNM could be the new alternative force in the State. So we have joined hands with them.
But for three decades, your party was supporting the AIADMK. Why did you desert it after Jaya’s demise?
When Jayalalithaa was alive, she would take steps to address issues faced by Dalits whenever we brought the same to her notice. But in the last two years, there were many cases of honour killings and we felt the government is not taking steps against it. So we decided to part ways.
How do you think the MNM will address Dalit issues?
The party is ready to listen to our demands. For example, they have fielded a person from the Dalit community in a general constituency. They have also allocated us general constituencies as part of the alliance. The Dravidian parties would never do such a thing.
Kamal Haasan has said he is neither right or left, but centre. His ideological stance has evoked much criticism. Being an anti-caste activist, how do you see this?
There is no confusion about his statement. Even Jawaharlal Nehru said he is neither a socialist, nor right wing. But a scientific socialist. Our party also has ideological differences with MNM, but we are working on a common platform to eradicate social evils from the society and nurture an alternative political force.