War games to win every vote

HEY `Tamizha!' hark, they are all speaking to you now. Long forgotten son of the soil, you are, once again, after five years, the sum and substance of all that hectic campaigning in the state. And in the small screen, where part of the frenzy has spilled over, as it usually does, the Tamizhan is the hero. Like a generic Everyman, he has become the mascot of the political lens, constantly urged to look at all the good that has been done unto him, rise up in anger at what has not happened to him. Taking their battles onto 14 inches space, political parties are going ahead full steam in their campaign against other parties.

A dutiful watcher of television could not have missed all the cross currents hissing across the cables. Between frequency Sun TV and frequency Jaya TV, there is a lot for Tamizha to be amused over. To watch, yes, to enjoy, definitely, to ponder over, maybe, but to vote?

The slanging match started well before the heat of the campaigns did. On Sun TV, the DMK organ, a well shot documentary hailing the achievements of the DMK government is where the story begins. That is scene one, where Tamizha makes his debut. A catchy lilt set to music by Paul Jacob and directed by film maker G B Vijay caught the attention of the Sun TV watching Tamilian, indeed.

The ad, spanning across the state, covered everything from the Samathuvapuram to computer education and TIDEL park. The slickly shot montages apostrophising the Tamizhan, showed images of bumper crop, `uzhavar sandhais', health camp, bright, chubby, well scrubbed children, signing off with an exhortation that the `porkaalam' (golden age) continue.

And then, closer to the nomination time, there were shorter clips, attributed to Murasoli, stills associated with the mother of all marriages, the `Mahamaham' debacle, turning the guns straight out at the opposition.

That is when the `makkal' began wondering, knowing as much as they do about Tamil Nadu politics, when Jaya TV would turn the heat on.

They had to wait a while, but when it started coming, Jaya TV responded with their own missiles during commercial breaks. Take a foot overbridge, its there, don't take an auto, its there, line up pots for water, its there. Hijack the cliche and it would be true here: Name it and its there.

If Sun TV's `Porkaalam' ad tries to create a feel good factor about the DMK government, Jaya TV's `Tamizha' ad covered more issues not addressed by the government.

All that one ad claimed was done, the other denied outright and vehemently. In addition, Jaya TV came up with their own version of the `Porkaalam', promising yet another `golden age' once again for the Tamizhan.

The same prosperous fields, cradle babies, healthy children, confident youth, achievers, just another slogan - `Naalai Namadhe'.

All is well, but what does the Election Commission have to say about all this frenetic targetting? Considering the extreme strictness with which the Commission is monitoring election related activities in the state, do they take a look at the television at all?

There actually exists a `code of conduct for TV broadcasts in connection with the Election', which spells out the DOs and DONTs clearly: No coverage of any election speeches or matter that incites violence, one religion against another, one language group against another.

More significantly, they insist on a `balanced and fair' coverage, going on to explain that it means among the major political parties no one political party should be given substantially more coverage than the others, granting though that the balance can `be achieved over a period of time'.

``To no reasonable person should it appear that one political party is being projected to the exclusion of others''.

Does the small screen really have the big picture ? You be the judge, `Tamizha'.

By Ramya Kannan

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Section  : Southern States
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