 Online edition of India's National Newspaper Wednesday, May 06, 2009 ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version |
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Actor-turned-politician Vijayakant has caught the attention of voters with his interactive speeches , interspersed with Tamil proverbs and catchy phrases. His latest refrain is on the Re. 1 a kg of rice sold through the public distribution system in Tamil Nadu and the One India scheme that enables one to make phone calls to any part of the country for Re. 1 a minute. “The ruling party cannot boast of its ‘Hello’ and ‘Kilo’ for Re 1. People are frustrated. They will say ‘Chalo’ to you [the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam] in this election,” the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam founder says to loud rounds of applause. Old habits die hardAt a DMK election meeting in North Chennai, a speaker started by eulogising Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi for not attacking any politician as well as for his advice to the cadre to stick to highlighting positive achievements. But by the time she ended her short five-minute oration, the speaker had unleashed a complete tirade against AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa, including references to the high electricity bills she pays, “betrayers” who had switched to her camp, the treatment Ms. Jayalalithaa had meted out to alliance leaders,and the imposition of hardships on government employees through the invoking of ESMA. So much for positive campaigning. Opium is the keyOpium holds the key to the outcome of elections to the Assembly segments of Chittorgarh Lok Sabha seat in Rajasthan. The poppy grows here in plots earmarked by the government and the mood of the opium growers determines the fate of the candidates. As in the past, political parties are making claims of helping opium growers and those in the business of “afeem” (opium). Some party leaders in the area are known for their links with the opium trade (both legal and illegal) while many others, including BJP’s Jaswant Singh, have advocated policies to facilitate the farmers. “Opium is an issue here. Licenses to opium growers have been always a hot issue,” confessed Girija Vyas, the Congress candidate and chairperson of the National Commission for Women. Followers of sitting MP and BJP nominee Srichand Kripalani’s are crediting him with getting pattas (licences to grow opium) in “thus aari” (holdings measuring less than a bigha) as against the previously stipulated 21 “aari.” Of dosas and televisionsAt an election meeting where Kanimozhi MP was canvassing for the Congress candidate in Virudhunagar, a woman asked when they would get the promised colour TVs, saying that while others had received them, she had not. Kanimozhi said every household which did not have a TV would get one. To drive home her point, she pointed out that in a house with four children, they would have to be served hot dosas one by one. But in the end, everyone would get it. Similarly, everyone wou ld get colour TVs, she promised. “Don’t worry. There are two more years for the next Assembly election. Every household will get it by then,” she said. A colour TV for each home without one was one of the promises made by the DMK ahead of the 2006 Assembly elections.
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