After break-up with BJP, AIADMK working to woo minorities

Chennai: Fresh from its break-up with the BJP, Tamil Nadu’s principal Opposition party, AIADMK, has set its eyes on winning over the support of minority communities, especially Muslims, by planning a massive outreach programme, as the party prepares to lead an alliance of its own in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

With Muslims forming a sizable chunk of the electorate in nearly a dozen Lok Sabha constituencies, the AIADMK believes it can pose a tough challenge to the ruling DMK in these segments by splitting the minority votes.

Moving a Special Calling Attention Motion in the state Assembly last week demanding the release of Muslim prisoners, including those accused in the 1998 Coimbatore serial blasts, who had been incarcerated for over 20 years was the first step towards gaining back the trust of the community, which constitutes 7 per cent of Tamil Nadu’s population, party leaders said.

“Muslims overwhelmingly supported the AIADMK in the 2014 and 2016 polls but they stopped voting for us in the 2019 and 2021 elections. The sole reason for their decision was our alliance with the BJP and these votes went en masse to the DMK alliance. We have to win back the support of these people,” former MP and AIADMK’s Muslim face, Anwhar Raajhaa told DH.

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami has also deputed a few party leaders from the community to meet leaders of influential Muslim organisations across the state and enlist their support for the 2024 polls since the BJP is not part of the alliance anymore, sources said.

“We have already touched base with outfits like SDPI who wield influence among Muslims in helping them convince members of the community to support the AIADMK in the Lok Sabha polls. We got just five to ten out of 100 Muslim votes, while a majority of them voted for the DMK. We now have the opportunity to break this trend,” a senior AIADMK leader said.

Tamimum Ansari, a former MLA who is influential in parts of Nagapattinam district, meeting Palaniswami and seeking his support for the release of Muslim prisoners immediately after the break-up with the BJP shows the community was willing to do business with the AIADMK, the leader said.

“We know we have to do a lot of convincing because we have been identified with the BJP for the past six years. But there is an opinion in the party that if we make a genuine effort, we can get the support of a sizable chunk of Muslim votes. That’s why we are asking Muslim outfits to help us reach out to their community members,” the AIADMK leader added.

Prof Ramu Manivannan, Visiting Professor, Josef Korbel School of International Studies University of Denver, US, told DH that it was AIADMK’s failure to let go off the minority vote bank in the past few years and the decision to sever ties with the BJP has opened a “small window” for it to engage with the minority communities.

“It is a small window. The minorities will see whether the AIADMK stands by its pronouncement vis-à-vis the BJP. 2024 will be a test for the AIADMK and the small window might open in the 2026 polls if it stands by its words of not aligning with the BJP. But I don’t see en masse shifting of minority votes from the DMK to AIADMK anytime soon,” Prof Manivannan added.

Another leader said though the party has launched efforts to woo Muslims for the 2024 elections, the ultimate target is the 2026 Assembly elections. “We believe minorities will vote for us in 2024 for our alliance sans BJP. Even if they don’t vote in 2024, they will trust us in 2026 if we stand by our words in one election,” the leader said.

While moving the motion in the Assembly, Palaniswami wanted the DMK government to take steps to release the prisoners who have been languishing in jail for over 20 years. The demand also led to a war of words between Palaniswami and Chief Minister M K Stalin who wanted to know the reason behind the AIADMK’s “special and sudden concern” for Muslims