12-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Parties ruling Tamil Nadu using Vanniyars as mere vote bank, says Anbumani
CHENNAI: PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss on Sunday charged that the parties that rule the state have been using Vanniyar community, the single largest community in Tamil Nadu, as a mere vote bank during the elections.
The Vanniyars have been deprived of education and employment opportunities, and living in hutments and working as daily wage labourers, he alleged.
Speaking at the Chithirai Muzhu Nilavu Naal Peruvizha, organised by the Vanniyar Sangam, Anbumani said other communities also use the Vanniyars only to resolve their problems, and once their problems are solved, the Vanniyars are forgotten.
Anbumani said that during the first two years after coming to power, Chief Minister M K Stalin promised that he would provide reservations for the Vanniyar community. 'Once, the CM promised us to convene a special session to provide reservations for Vanniyars. But suddenly he changed his mind and went back on his word. It is a huge betrayal to Vanniyars,' he added.
'You need only our votes. Fourteen of the 15 constituencies won by the DMK in the 1957 elections were dominated by Vanniyars. Similarly, in 1962, the DMK won in 50 constituencies, and of them, 45 were dominated by Vanniyars. In 1967, the DMK won 138 seats, and of them 92 constituencies were dominated by Vanniyars. Even in the present Assembly, the Vanniyar community gave 23 MLAs. But you don't have the intent to give them education and jobs,' Anbumani said.
