CHENNAI: In the campaign for Vikravandi bypoll, with the PMK strongly accusing the DMK of ‘betraying’ the Vanniyar community by failing to take measures to uphold the 10.5% reservation given to them during the previous AIADMK regime, the Villupuram district DMK has decided to rope in Vanniyars who benefitted from the 20% reservation for Most Backward Classes, which covers the community as well.
Sources said workers at the grassroots-level in the Vanniyar-dominated Vikravandi constituency have been instructed to collect details of such beneficiaries who are not in favour of PMK but are sympathetic of inclined towards the DMK.
Soon after announcing its candidate for the bypoll, PMK trained its guns at the ruling DMK and branded it as a ‘betrayer’ of the community. In his letter to the cadre, PMK founder Dr S Ramadoss raised various allegations against the DMK, of which the most important was the allegation that the ruling party had failed to implement 10.5% reservation exclusively for the Vanniyar community. The reservation was brought in by the previous AIADMK government just before the 2021 Assembly elections, but was subsequently struck down by the courts.
PMK enjoys a strong presence in the constituency as evident by the 23 % votes it secured when contesting alone in 2016. In its efforts to leave no stone unturned to ensure a victory with a wide margin, DMK is keen on countering PMK’s allegations on the ground level. Hence, it has asked its local functionaries to identify those from the Vanniyar community who have secured better opportunities in government jobs and education through the 20% reservation for MBCs, which was implemented by the DMK government in 1989.
According to sources in the DMK circle, the Villupuram district DMK is planning to carry out door-to-door campaigns in the Vanniyar concentrated areas by involving these beneficiaries, who are interested to take part in the campaign, to explain to the voters in general and the Vanniyar voters in particular that the benefits under the MBC reservation is higher than what they can enjoy via an exclusive reservation of 10.5%.
DMK’s organising secretary RS Bharathi had highlighted on Monday that the Vanniyar community benefited a lot from the 20% reservation for MBCs.