If north India had a Periyar, the BJP would not have gained foothold there: DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran

CHENNAI: Former Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran says AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami was scared of the BJP because of the cases pending against him and his party leaders. In an extensive interview with K Karthikeyan during his campaign, Maran said the DMK-led alliance MPs were among the most vocal in raising people’s issues in the Parliament. He also called State BJP president K Annamalai an entertainer who does not stand by his words. Edited excerpts:

Q.You are seeking re-election for the fourth term from the same constituency. You must be facing anti-incumbency too. What has been the voter response like?

A.We have been a very good opposition party representing the problems of Tamil Nadu and also the voice of the suppressed, especially the minorities. From day one, we have ensured that our voices were heard in the Parliament for every issue. Be it the CAA or Article 370 abrogation, we have vehemently opposed it. People have recognized it. When I was elected in 2019, there was severe drought in Tamil Nadu. I went to every nook and cranny of my constituency, providing water. Even during the COVID, we took the initiative to be with the people and distributed whatever welfare measures we could to the people. We were the only ones to be with the people even during the recent floods.

Q.Did the recent floods pose challenges to you as an incumbent MP?

A.The biggest challenge then was that the people were impatient because of the power outage. People wanted immediate restoration of power, but the Chief Minister was very particular that there should be no mishap. Power supply was restored gradually everywhere in three days. People were not angry because they realized that we were with them. Natural calamities are not under anyone’s control.

Q.The opposition has been posting videos of you being turned away by the people during campaign…

A.Lies have a better impact on people. The end part of the video was cut off. The biggest problem for me is the traffic problem. I took it to the knowledge of the CM. A committee headed by the Chief Secretary has been constituted. Now, the recommendations have transformed Anna Salai. We are trying to make it signal-less. The efforts are paying off. If the phase II of the Metro Rail becomes operational, it will further ease traffic congestion. The Union government is not funding us. It is 50:50. TN govt has put Rs 30,000 crore, but the Union government has not released the funds.

Q.The opposition AIADMK is wondering if the 38 INDIA bloc MPs raised the CMRL funding issue in the Parliament…

A.Unlike AIADMK, we voiced every concern in the Parliament. Please take a look at our social media channels. Also, peruse the Parliamentary records to learn what we have done. AIADMK did nothing.

Q.One of the major charges against INDIA bloc MPs has been raising the issues in the Parliament…

A.We, the DMK MPs, have been fighting among ourselves to raise questions. Most of the special mentions made by our MPs are about the issues plaguing our constituencies. Our MPs are vociferous and active. Probably, Edappadi Palaniswami feels that his MPs were sleeping between 2014 and 2019.

Take the speeches of all MPs. You will find the animated and emotional speeches of DMK MPs. Can you recollect one such speech made by the AIADMK MPs? I had the guts to tell [Union Home Minister] Amit Shah on his assurance in the Parliament on CAA that it was like devil preaching sermons. CAA would not have been passed if the AIADMK and PMK stood together.

Q.EPS says it was done due to alliance compulsion…

A.CAA was passed by just three votes. AIADMK had nine votes, plus [PMK leader] Anbumani Ramadoss who never comes to the Parliament. The persecution of Muslims would have stopped if they had voted against it.

Q.Are you alleging that AIADMK prioritized alliance over public welfare?

A.Yes. AIADMK leaders were like slaves. BJP had files on them and cases against all top ministers. To save themselves, the selfish AIADMK never bothered about the welfare of Tamil Nadu. AIADMK had a harmonious relationship with BJP. What did they bring to TN? The Port-Maduravoyal elevated corridor is a classic example. Why was it not revived between 2014 and 2019? AIADMK leaders are only busy making money and protecting themselves.

Q.Why do you think EPS is not talking about Modi or BJP?

A.AIADMK ended its alliance with the BJP. Any party going against the BJP is persecuted. What happened to the Aam Aadmi Party? They arrested deputy CM, ministers and now Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. In West Bengal, they are harassing Mamata Banerjee. In Karnataka and Kerala also they are harassing. In Tamil Nadu, they are harassing Senthilbalaji. Has any raid happened in Tamil Nadu against the AIADMK?

Q.The Enforcement Directorate has now raided former minister and AIADMK leader Dr C Vijayabaskar?

A.That raid is a façade. Should he not have been arrested? Normally, that is what the ED does. They did it to Senthilbalaji. Why are they not doing it now? It is the case of BJP pretending to whack the AIADMK and the latter pretending to cry. BJP is helping AIADMK. Wherever the BJP is contesting, the AIADMK has instructed its cadre to work for the BJP.

Q.But Annamalai says the DMK and AIADMK are working together to defeat him?

A.Annamalai is a liar. Does anyone take him seriously? He has no mettle to be a leader. A leader’s words must be respected. He must own up to what he says. Even Seeman does it. Annamalai is a character who says something and disowns it. He is an entertainer who wants to be in the news daily.

Q.But PM Modi is all praise for Annamalai. You don’t accept Annamalai as a leader even…

PM Modi is the biggest entertainer in India. The entire BJP is full of entertainers. Take the case of Nirmala Sitharaman. No one can lie like she does. Tamil Nadu government takes a loan of Rs 5,000 crore from an international bank. It comes through the Centre. Only the Tamil Nadu government is repaying the loan. They pretend as if they are paying the sum. Nirmala Sitharaman only displays arrogance.

Q.Won’t her statements influence the people?

A.It will help us instead. Our Chief Minister has responded to it. When [AIADMK general secretary J] Jayalalithaa died in December 2016, she was camping here. She was trying to manipulate and become the CM of Tamil Nadu.

Q.That is too farfetched…

A.BJP thought AIADMK leaders were a bunch of slaves. Nirmala gave a commitment that they would give exemption for Tamil Nadu from NEET then. I raised this in the Parliament itself. She thinks it’s her birth right to become the CM. She was camping here because there was no charismatic leader in the AIADMK then.

Q.But her party did not have a single MLA then?

Wherever they didn’t have MLAs, are they not buying MLAs? The BJP has an alliance with CBI and ED. All the AIADMK leaders, EPS, Velumani, Thangamani and Vijayabaskar, have cases against them. Back then, Sasikala and TTV Dhinarakan too had cases. Check the media reports of the time. Media was glorifying her. Nirmala has never faced the people.

Q.Nirmala said publicly that she will not contest because she did not have the money…

A.BJP has Rs 8,000 crore raised through electoral bonds. She is the Union Finance Minister. She was heading the Enforcement Directorate. It has become an extortion directorate now. She does not have the guts to face the people. When onion prices went up, she said she does not belong to a family that eats onions. How can a Finance Minister make such a statement? She does not realize the problems of ordinary people. She only knows the problems of Adanis and Ambanis. BJP is a party of the rich. CAG unearthed irregularities to the tune of Rs 7.5 lakh crore. Even dead people were provided insurance claims. BJP is the most corrupt party. [Probing into] PM Cares Fund will open a Pandora’s Box. All the corrupt are joining the BJP one after another.

Q.What gives the BJP the confidence that it can absorb the corrupt and still win 370 seats on its own?

There is no Periyar in the north. If the north had a Periyar, the people there would have been largely educated. Why is the BJP failing here? We are rationalists. We think and question. BJP does not allow people to question there. The upper caste people there will learn English and enjoy all privileges. The rest are forced to settle for the Vishwakarma scheme. They are made to believe that learning Hindi is enough there. The poor people there are stuck.

Q.Will it not help the BJP electorally there?

A.The Congress and regional parties are raising it there. Hence, Prime Minister Modi is visiting Tamil Nadu so frequently. He is trying every trick in the playbook. Modi is scared. Did he visit Tamil Nadu when we had floods? He visited Chennai twice after that. He visited Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi after that. Did he at least meet a few flood-affected families there? No. He talks proudly of Tamil. He reads from a teleprompter. He speaks Tamil in Hindi. He allocates Rs 60 crore for Tamil and Rs 600 crore to Sanskrit, which is spoken by just 21,000 people according to the 2011 Census. Has he done anything else for Tamil Nadu? The Elephant Gate bridge in my constituency is a classic example.

The Greater Chennai Corporation finished its part. But the Railway part was pending. They delayed for five years. I used to cry for five years. The Railways finally completed a part of it. Then I realized that the BJP candidate against me had requested Union Minister to not open it because he did not want the credits to go to DMK. We opened one half of it.

Q.So, the BJP prevented the partial opening of it.

A.Yes. They wanted the credit. It has been partially opened. People started using it.

Q.BJP leaders claim that the party and Modi are more accepted in TN now?

A.A leader becomes acceptable only if he does good for the people. What good has Modi done for Tamil Nadu? He didn’t build us the AIIMS hospital [in Madurai]. He did not construct the highway from here to Ranipet for years. They want us to suffer. They want to give a feeling that since it is a non-BJP State, you will not get anything. It is a curse. It will change. Tesla was supposed to come to Tamil Nadu. A call was made from Delhi and it was shifted to Gujarat. Even then Tamil Nadu is the most preferred destination for investment.