The Hindu : JD(U), Dalit parties form People's Alliance

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 19, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

JD(U), Dalit parties form People's Alliance

By Gargi Parsai

NEW DELHI, FEB. 18. The Janata Dal (United) has entered into a pact — outside the National Democratic Alliance — with three sub-regional parties, representing Dalits and other backward classes.

Dubbed a "third force'' against the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the `People's Alliance' comprising the Puthiya Tamizhagam (PT), the Dalit Panthers of India (DPI) and the Makkal Tamil Desam (MTD) and the JD (U), will contest 20 of the 40 seats in the Lok Sabha election. The alliance would contest on the `arrow' symbol the JD (U). The State partners said they would not support the Bharatiya Janata Party and the National Democratic Alliance diktats would not be binding on them.

Announcing the formation of the alliance here today, Sharad Yadav, JD (U) Parliamentary Board Chairman and Union Minister for Food, said he and the other party leaders, George Fernandes, Nitish Kumar, Digvijay Singh and Sreenivas Prasad, would campaign for the alliance. Asked whether it would not impact the newly-formed BJP-AIADMK alliance, he said, "There is no NDA alliance in Tamil Nadu. The BJP did not consult us when they forged an alliance with the AIADMK. We too have not spoken to them about this.''

Mr. Yadav said the alliance would strengthen the party's base in the State. The pact with the NDA was binding only in Delhi, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. The party did go it alone in the Assembly elections in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The Puthiya Tamizhagam leader, Krishnaswamy, the Dalit Panthers leader, Tirumavalavan, who recently resigned from the Assembly and the former PWD Minister, Kannappan of the Makkal Tamil Desam, were present. The leaders said their parties were the real representatives of the Dalits, minorities, Yadavs, Nadars and other backward and most backward castes. They alleged that under the regimes of the DMK and the AIADMK, the "real Dalits" could not get full representation in Parliament. So they formed the People's Alliance with JD (U), which represented Lohia's socialism.

"Other alliances in TN are formed in the interest of leaders, not people. Our alliance, with a vote bank of 40 per cent, will make an impact not only in Tamil Nadu but all over India.''

Asked about their disillusionment with the DMK, they said: "They became partners (with the Congress) at the national level and pushed out the Dalits to attain leadership. They represent only a few families — their own family.''

The three parties separately contested 25 seats in the Assembly elections, including two in Pondicherry, but only the PT won in Mangalore. Of the 20 seats the People's Alliance proposes to contest in the Lok Sabha election, they hope to win six or seven seats.

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