‘We’ll have enough funds to keep all poll promises’

Dressed in his formal best, Dr Anbumani Ramadoss is different from the usual kara dhoti wearing Tamil Nadu politicians. The 48-year-old Chief Minister candidate of PMK has a vision for the state and he is confident that people’s mandate will be in his favour this time. 

In fact, PMK decided to go it alone this Assembly election because the party high command was sure that their hard work in the last few years would pay. 

Having polled only 3 per cent votes in 2011 and 4.4 per cent in 2014 Parliament poll, on what basis did PMK decide to face the election alone? 

Our vote share in 1996, when we contested alone, was 8.5 per cent. In the last 20 years, our vote bank has doubled to nearly 17 per cent. We will gain more as we are now contesting in all 234 constituencies. In Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal had no vote bank until a year before he contested in the election. But people wanted a change and that helped him rout the BJP totally. Similarly, nearly 5.82 crore voters in the state are neutral. About two crore voters comprise youth and first-time voters who want a corruption free, transparent government, which we have promised. So, they will choose PMK. 

We consciously decided to contest alone this election, in spite of many parties approaching us for an alliance. So, it’s not true that PMK had difficulty in forming an alliance. We had a headstart in campaigning with our regional conferences which covered the entire state in the last four years. And whatever we said, others have copied now. Only we spoke of prohibition initially and now others have picked it up. It is the same with announcing the CM candidate, Lok Ayukta, Right to public service act, check dams, separate budge for agriculture and no freebies.

We will make the union government reroute the pipeline along the national highway as in Kerala. Our stand is that wet lands should not be touched for any purpose other than agriculture. People in seven districts would be affected greatly if there is any mishap.

Are you against the Koodankulam nuclear power project? 

PMK has always opposed nuclear power due to the dangers involved. The huge amount spent for the project could have been successfully invested in renewable energy. Thoothukudi, Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli districts revealed a sudden spurt in cancer cases which has to be studied. It had been earlier agreed to dump KKNNP nuclear waste in Meghalaya, but now the waste is buried in the state itself. It will have serious consequences like how people in Chernobyl, Russia continue to suffer from cancerous diseases even after 25 years since the nuclear disaster.

PMK has always demanded the release of the seven arrested for the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. As they have completed more than 25 years in prison, the state government has powers to release them.

It is an oversight. It should have been included. But we will do everything to ensure that such colleges are started when we assume power. 

All the election promises mentioned in the more-than-140 pages manifesto can be implemented within five years. Actually I only need two years to implement them.

Tamil Nadu’s budget last year was to the tune of Rs 1.62 lakh crore, of which salaries and pensions accounted for Rs 67,000 crore (41 per cent), subsidies and freebies Rs 62,000 crore (39 per cent) and interest on the state government debt of Rs 4.12 lakh crore amounting to Rs 23,000 crore. This left just Rs 10,000 crore for development. 

However, revenue through commercial taxes will be Rs 45,000 crore and another Rs 20,000 crore is possible from sand and mineral mining. Controlling corruption will ensure about Rs 50,000 crore which is enough for all the promised schemes in the manifesto.