Farmers Movement Archive

Tamil Nadu assembly election: BJP focuses on central schemes to make a mark

BJP president JP Nadda’s formal announcement of fighting the Tamil Nadu assembly elections, expected in April-May this year, in alliance with the state’s ruling AIADMK, has put the focus back on the saffron party’s bid to gain a foothold in a state it has found difficult to penetrate. Nadda, and the party he leads, are hoping to cash in on the Centre’s social welfare and other centrally-sponsored schemes to earn an edge over the opposition in Tamil Nadu, where its presence is nascent.The benefits that it accrued in state elections held recently in Bihar, where the delivery of central schemes, especially those targeted at women, were credited for helping script the National Democratic Alliance’s victory, have raised the party’s hopes of benefitting from the delivery of funds for programmes such as housing in rural and urban areas; PM Kisan Nidhi and urban infrastructure.This is in addition to the women specific schemes that the AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa had introduced in her six terms as chief minister. Tamil Nadu has a history of schemes such as free medicines, health insurance and pension to the needy, which were later replicated nationally. However, the AIADMK has been facing allegations of corruption in implementation of these schemes.A senior BJP functionary, speaking on condition of anonymity, said though the party has opted to contest the 2021 assembly election as an ally of the ruling AIADMK; it will focus on the impact of centrally sponsored schemes on providing livelihood, housing, and improving urban infrastructure.“The opposition created falsehoods about the state being neglected. Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi himself set the record straight (in 2018), when he said that there has been an increase of about 120% in the allocation for the state. When the Congress-led UPA was in power at the centre, Tamil Nadu got just ₹81,000 crore under the 13th Finance Commission, but under the BJP-led NDA regime, it increased to ₹180,000 crore under the 14th Finance Commission,” the functionary said.The assertion that the state has been better-off under the NDA rule was made again in November this year by Union home minister Amit Shah during his visit to Chennai. Shah, who laid foundation stones for various infrastructure projects worth about Rs. 70,000 crore said, “The schemes and funds provided to Tamil Nadu by the Central government are not meant for help, but it is the right of Tamil Nadu that was not being given to it. Modi ji ensured that now Tamil Nadu gets its rights."He cited numbers to buttress the claims. 15% of Tamil Nadu's 1.42 crore rural households had drinking water connections thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheme for piped water in every household, he said, adding that by 2024 drinking water will be provided to 1.20 crore families.He also stated that while the previous government had waived off loans of only 60,000 crore in 10 years, the Modi government has transferred ₹95,000 crore directly into the bank account of farmers in three years, of which, about ₹4,404 crore has been directly transferred to 45 lakh farmers of Tamil Nadu.During the party’s month-long Vetrivel Yatra (victorious spear march), the leaders made an effort to highlight several central programmes, including the Ujjwala Yojana and the Individual Household Latrine scheme. However, response to the yatra was tepid.Both the BJP and the AIADMK may have to navigate through the allegations of corruption and leaks in the implementation of some of these schemes.For instance, in September, the Centre was quick to nudge the state government to undertake an enquiry after a scam in the allocation of monies under the PM Kisan scheme was unearthed. This came after the state government said approximately ₹110 crore had been credited to the bank accounts of about 5.5 lakh ineligible people, who had fraudulently registered under the PM Kisan scheme in 13 districts of the state.To counter any negative narrative against the party, the BJP Tamil Nadu president L Murugan launched ‘Farmers’ friend Modi’ campaign in Madurai to explain the three new farm laws across districts alleging the DMK and Congress were misleading the farmers.In the ruling All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s last full-fledged budget, deputy chief minister O Paneerselvam, who handles the finance portfolio, set apart ₹6,500 crore for food subsidy and announced a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to manage the Amma Canteens. “While there are several central schemes spread across all departments which are implemented by the state, most people seem to have benefitted from Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM- KISAN) and Awas Yojana,” said an AIADMK leader on condition of anonymity.But, the focus on the centrally-sponsored schemes is also expected to shield the BJP from any possible anti-incumbency against the AIADMK; to make up for the lack of a structured party cadre on the ground; to alter its image of a Hindi-speaking, upper-caste party.Opposition DMK, however, dismissed notions that there was any traction for BJP government’s schemes on the ground. “There was massive fraud in the PM Kisan scheme. If it is BJP’s pet scheme, serious investigations should have followed, but we don’t know what is happening,” said DMK spokesperson A Saravanan.Saravanan pointed out that there was no toilet in the Kancheepuram agriculture department’s office, where a government employee with disability, S Saranya died after she fell into an open septic tank in December last, as a case of failure of the central government schemes.Also Read: 'BJP, AIADMK will contest together in Tamil Nadu': NaddaPolitical commentator Sumanth C Raman, however, said that banking on the centrally-sponsored schemes for the state elections is unlikely to be rewarding for the BJP, as there is little resonance of their benefits on the ground. “The benefits of these schemes are not talked about. The local media is very hostile to the BJP and they don’t document the schemes or the benefits they have offered to the people in the state,” he said.Raman also said the state leadership has begun to focus on the rural areas, where the party’s presence was weak.In Tamil Nadu, BJP continues to attack the DMK on religious grounds, dynasty politics and the 2G spectrum scam. The party has limited issues to take up since it is in alliance with the ruling AIADMK. In the 2016 assembly elections, BJP was a no-show with a vote share of 2.8%. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, BJP managed one seat but failed to retain it in 2019 but increased its vote share to 3.6%.

Hindustan Times

31-01-2021

India