Interview Of The Week - S. RAMADOSS
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‘I ’ve never had any links with Veerappan, I have urged him to release Rajkumar’

Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) leader S. Ramadoss, a doctor-turned-politician has been in the limelight. If a controversial note circulated among his party men regarding Tamil nationalism raised eyebrows last week, a call from the Karnataka Chief Minister S.M. Krishna asking him to appeal to forest brigand Veerappan to release Rajkumar, surprised many. Why was Ramadoss being requested to talk to Veerappan? Is it because that he has all along advocated general amnesty for Veerappan? Or is it that the Vanniyar leader could appeal to the sentiments of a fellow Vanniyar. Ramadoss in an interview with B. KOLAPPAN discuss his politics and the links with Veerappan.

Why do you think S. M. Krishna asked you to prevail upon Veerappan to release Rajkumar when two state governments are leaving no stone unturned to secure the actor’s release?

I was also surprised by the appeal. You must ask Krishna why he called on me. I clearly told him that I have never had any links with the brigand, that I could appeal to Veerappan only through the media, which I have done. I have urged Veerappan to release Rajkumar without any conditions.

The general opinion is that Krishna expects you to play the community card to secure Rajkumar’s release. After all, Veerappan is also a Vanniyar.
There is no question of playing the community card in this case. Whether at the time of elections or in the interests of the Vanniyar Sangam, we have not invoked Veerappan’s name.

Have you ever offered help to Veerappan’s family, especially to his daughter?
In our Mettur Assembly conference, the PMK was approached for financial help to meet the educational expenses of Veerappan’s daughter. I agreed to help.

What do you say to the charge that the Tamil Nadu Liberation Army (TNLA) that’s now associated with Veerappan is amenable to the PMK since your party leaders are associated with TNLA leaders?
There is not an iota of truth in the whisper campaign that the TNLA has links with ‘Kaduvetti’ Guru, a leader of the Vanniyar Sanghom. From the very beginning, Guru has been working for the Vanniyar Sanghom and the PMK.

Have you made any special efforts to secure the release of Rajkumar after Krishna’s telephonic request?
In what way could I make special efforts? If I have links with Veerappan I can make some efforts. I appealed to Veerappan through the media and my role ends there.

Why have you been advocating general amnesty for Veerappan?
There is no end to the problem that concerns three states. So much money is being spent to nab him. The worst affected are the poor in the areas of Dharmapuri and Erode districts. There is no solution in sight. So we could end the problem by granting a general amnesty to Veerappan. We have granted amnesty to the dacoits of Chambal Valley and to Phoolan Devi.

Since many TNLA leaders and cadres are Vanniyars, would they listen to you irrespective of their political affiliations?
Unemployment is one of the main reasons for the formation of extremist groups in Tirupattur, Dharmapuri and Perambalur areas. People in these areas live in abject poverty and depend heavily on money lenders who charge nearly 15 per cent interest. The unemployed youth formed an extremist organisation which later splits into factions. Some groups are even involved in extortion. Of course, these areas are dominated by Vanniyars and the first generation graduates and educated youth were attracted towards the ideology of Naxalism. Not only Vanniyars, Dalit youths are also in these movements.

Will they listen to your appeal?
I have appealed to them to give up violence and return to normal life. I urged them to hand over the arms they secured from a police station in Andimadam. The extremist path is not going to help them. One day, the police will shoot them down and declare that they were killed in an encounter. Former DGP Walter Dawaram killed so many youths and called it encounter deaths. These days you cannot even shoot a sparrow or a wild animal without raising a protest. Maneka Gandhi will raise an issue.

Dravidian parties that had mobilised the people on ethnic lines have now moved to mainstream nationalism, losing their regional identity. Do you subscribe to this?
Dravidian parties are responsible for this. To avoid this mistake, since 1991, I have been advocating that the two Dravidian parties should not have an alliance with any of the national parties. The DMK and AIADMK can fight with each other to establish their supremacy or forge alliances with other regional parties. In fact, it is the two Dravidian parties that have contributed to the growth of national parties in the State by offering 20 seats in the Lok Sabha elections.

So should national parties be boycotted?
What is the contribution of national parties to the state, especially the Congress?

But are you not in the BJP front?
PMK is a small party. My advice is only to the AIADMK and the DMK.

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