TIRUCHY: PMK is celebrating the 10.5 per cent internal reservation allocated to the Vanniyar community. However, its ally AIADMK is silent about it, for the ruling Dravidian major is wary that using it as an election plank — even in Vanniyar dominant constituencies — may affect its vote bank among other caste groups.
PMK has been distributing sweets and bursting crackers to celebrate the announcement. On social media, they have been heaping praises on their party founder S Ramadoss and Anbumani. PMK’s prominent vote bank is in Vanniyar community, whereas, AIADMK has cadre from across the caste groups. Hence, celebrations will not be detrimental for PMK but for AIADMK, it is important to handle the situation carefully.
Venkatachalam of Jayankondam said, “Not only the caste groups within the MBC are critical about giving a lion’s share from the 20 per cent reservation to one particular community; the caste groups outside it are also fuming. In a tea stall conversation in the morning, I heard a group of people discussing why their own caste has not been given reservation.”
As AIADMK has functionaries from all castes, it hampers the possibility of popularizing the reservation for one particular caste. An elderly DMK functionary recalled “When the DMK government gave 20 percent reservation for MBC in 1989; our party had lost a significant support among some backward communities. Earlier, we used to get majority of votes from some particular backward communities but after the creation of MBC it changed.
Till now, we are unable to retrieve the lost support.” When asked about why AIADMK is not using the Vanniyar reservation as its election plank, a functionary said, “We have functionaries from BC, MBC and Dalits. If we use it as election plank, the functionaries from other castes will not cooperate.