The rise of rice politics in Tamil Nadu

By G Saravanan in Chennai

Pic courtesy:http://www.newsreporter.in and findallvideo.com

When it comes to Tamil Nadu politics, no one can keep the rice factor out of it as it has played a vital role and helped the Dravidian parties like DMK and AIADMK to reach the corridors of power time to time over the decades.

The famous electoral promise by C N Annadurai during the 1967 campaign ‘Oru Padi Nicchayam, Moondru Padi Latchiyam,’ (1 padi (more than a kilogram) is guaranteed per rupee, but 3 Padi is the promise) had led the DMK party to Fort St George with a clear majority.

It was the start of rice politics in the state, and recently, the Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK party, which promised free rice for ration cardholders and voted to power, has fulfilled her main poll promise by launching it as a first public welfare scheme of the new government on June 1 given its due importance.

Under the scheme, about 1.83 crore cardholders and 18.62 lakh Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) beneficiaries across the state would be benefited.

Though the state government’s action would increase its annual expenditure by another Rs 500 crore for the year, rice has once again proved that it was the perfect political route to reach to the corridors of powers.

Using the Anna’s poll plank of rice in subsidized rates, the AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran came to power in early 1980s. Going a step further to keep the vote bank of rural and elderly people intact, MGR announced and ensured proper distribution of five-kg freerice for elders and 12-kg free rice for destitute people.

The rice distributed to cardholders was once sold at Rs 5.50 per kg in early 1990s, and then reduced to Rs 3.50 per kg in mid-2000. Furthermore, DMK party led by M Karunanidhi promised rice for all cardholders at Rs 2 per kg in 2006 Assembly Election and eventually voted to power in 2006.

During DMK’s regime in 2006-11, Karunanidhi even slashed the rice price by one rupee and made to Re one per kg.

Going a step further, perhaps the only available step to woo voters, Jaya, after voted to power few weeks ago, has launched free rice scheme to all ration cardholders.

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