People's Democracy

TAMILNADU CAMPAIGN REACHES A CRESCENDO

AIADMK-Led Front Set For A Decisive Win

A A Nainar & S P Rajendran

THE campaign for the 15th Lok Sabha election reached its peak in Tamilnadu � which is going to poll in the last phase on May 13, 2009 � with the leaders of AIADMK-led five party front touring throughout the state and addressing massive rallies in various cities and towns.

On the other hand, the DMK-Congress alliance has engaged in illegal activity of bribing voters with cash, liquor etc and unprecedented transgressions of the code of conduct.

While the polling date is nearing, the overall pulse of the people of Tamilnadu is in favour of the AIADMK-led alternative front. Among the 40 Lok Sabha constituencies in Tamilnadu and Puducherry (39+1) AIADMK is contesting in 23 seats; PMK (Pattali Makkal Katchi) in 7 seats; MDMK (Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) in 4 seats; the CPI(M) and the CPI in 3 seats each. In all these constituencies, thousands and thousands of cadres and supporters of the alliance parties are working forcefully for a clean sweep in the polls.

AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalitha has started her campaign tour on April 18 from Kanyakumari constituency, in which the CPI(M) candidate is contesting for a second term. From this southern tip of the nation, Jayalalithaa continued her campaign programme towards Chennai via Thirunelveli, Madurai, Trichy, Coimbatore, Erode, etc. She has planned to cover all 40 constituencies in her campaign. Almost in all constituencies, thousands of people gathered in the public meetings, which were addressed by Jayalalitha. She said in an interview at Madurai in the midst of the campaign that the massive gathering of the rural as well as urban people in her campaign gave an energetic enthusiasm to the cadres.

As Jayalalitha's campaign is progressing, Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat, Polit Bureau members Sitaram Yechury, Manik Sarkar (Tripura chief minister), Brinda Karat, K Varadharajan, Central Control Commission chairman N Sankaraiah, state secretary N Varadharajan, Communist Party of India general secretary A B Bardhan and national secretary D Raja are touring through out the state and addressing massive public meetings in support of the five party alliance candidates. PMK founder S Ramdoss and MDMK general secretary Vaiko are also attending huge rallies in various constituencies.

Among these 40 constituencies the Left parties, CPI(M) and CPI are fighting in six seats. CPI(M) candidates P Mohan, A V Bellarmine and P R Natarajan are fighting respectively in Madurai, Kanyakumari and Coimbatore.
CPI Candidate D Pandian, M Selvaraj and P Lingam are facing election respectively in North Chennai, Nagapattinam and Tenkasi.
All six constituencies are basically strongholds of communist movement and working class movement. Particularly Madurai, Nagapattinam, Kanyakumari and Coimbatore are the strong bastions of the red flag.
With the support base of AIADMK and allies, the victory of Left candidates is assured.

Prakash Karat campaigned for the alliance in Kancheepuram, Vellore, Madurai, Kanniyakumari, Cuddalore, Dindigul, Udumalai and Coimbatore in two phases. In Cuddalore he campaigned for the AIADMK candidate K S Alagiri and it was one of the biggest meetings held so far in the campaign. While addressing the meeting in Cuddalore Karat said that both the Congress and BJP were stating that the alternative Front was an illusion and therefore there was no question of their forming the government. However, he said, that the Left parties and their allies were confident of achieving victory and sure of forming a non-Congress secular government at the centre. Such a government would formulate a people-friendly economic policy, fight against terrorism, follow an independent foreign policy and ensure social justice.

Due to the global economic crisis millions of jobs were lost in all the sectors; but neither the Congress nor the DMK had any solution to offer, he said. He charged further that these ruling parties were indulging in corrupt practices and distributing the ill-gotten wealth in constituencies like Madurai. Karat exhorted the people to give a fitting reply by voting to the five party alliance led by AIADMK in the state.

DMK-CONG IN DOLDRUMS

In this situation, the DMK-Congress combine has unleashed violence as it is losing its ground and eliciting minimal support to its campaign. In a futile effort to save the sinking ship of Congress-DMK alliance, DMK chief and Tamilnadu chief minister Karunanidhi firstly took up the Sri Lankan Tamils issue.

As the Sri Lankan Army is moving forward in northern Sri Lanka, thousands of Tamil civilians without any support, caught in no fire zone and the plight of the innocent people is becoming grave, it took the centre stage of the election campaign in Tamilnadu. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) had urged the UPA government to bring maximum pressure on the Sri Lankan government to make it cease hostilities immediately till all the civilians trapped in the conflict zone are evacuated. The CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat said in public meetings at Madurai and Kanyakumari constituencies that mere voicing of concern by our government would not help in saving the lives of thousands of Tamil civilians caught in the fighting. He said the Indian government should persuade the Sri Lankan government to heed to the request of the UN Security Council which has appealed for allowing international relief agencies to enter the area and do their work. He also said the LTTE must lay down arms.

When there were rumours in the press about a final assault on LTTE, Karunanidhi hurriedly went in for a fast in front of Anna Memorial in Marina on April 24, 2009. Though the media and the official machinery tried to create an emotional hyperbole about the event, it ended as a damp squib when he called off the fast six hours later, taking the excuse of a statement by the Sri Lankan government to the effect that no heavy arms would be used and the military campaign had come to a close. But, the very same night there were reports to the contrary that it was not cessation of hostilities and the Sri Lankan government was not prepared to give a breather to the beleaguered LTTE and its leader Prabhakan. Also there was heavy shelling in the night and two hundred innocent Tamils were killed in the No Fire Zone. Thus ended the fasting fiasco of Karunanidhi.

The people of Tamilnadu are irked with these high dramas of DMK chief
which could neither attract the voters nor cheat them. After this failure, the DMK tried another attempt to cheat the voters by reducing bus fares overnight. Earlier, the DMK government raised the bus fares all over Tamilnadu. The CPI(M), CITU and other organisations fought against this unannounced bus fare hike. But the government did not respond to the people�s agony. But for the election purpose only, DMK government had crossed previous limits of transgressions of code of conduct.
By effecting a statewide reduction in bus fares just days before the Lok Sabha election without even a formal government order, the DMK government has fallen foul of the rules of the game. If the overnight reduction without any prior announcement was bad enough, worse was the explanation offered to the election commission by the chief secretary: that the managing directors of the state transport undertakings took the decision on their own. That all the transport corporations ordered a downward revision on the same day without consulting the minister was such a tall tale that the election commission was able swiftly to dismiss the explanation and ask the state government to withdraw the fare cut. However, the bus fare cut is only one of several violations of the code.

The blatant violations of poll code by DMK had gotten worse in Madurai.
Madurai, where M K Azhagiri, son of chief minister M Karunanidhi, is contesting on the DMK ticket, is witness to money power and muscle power undermining the democratic process. Ruling party men have been distributing money to voters and attacking political opponents, particularly CPI(M) cadres who objected to their ways. Several cases have been filed and the chief electoral officer has sent a report to the election commission. Evidently, an attempt is being made to replicate the formula worked out in the by - election for the Thirumangalam assembly constituency in Madurai district in January. Then as now, huge money resources were placed in the hands of the ruling party campaign managers. Nearly 28 crores of rupees were distributed to the voters with in 24 hours through out Madurai constituency by DMK men. They have plans to distribute another 50 crores of rupees in the final round. All these illegal business of bribing voters took place in various places in the presence of police, but they did not take any action.

Earlier, the CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat had complained to the CEC about the violence and violations of the ruling party in Madurai.
Other than Madurai, in Sivaganga constituency, Congress candidate and union Home minister P Chidambaram`s men were trying to bribe voters. But, the cadres of CPI(M), caught the culprits red handed.
Thus in many constituencies, the DMK-Congress alliance is having faith in money and muscle power. On the contrary the AIADMK-led alternative front is having its faith on people. The people of Tamilnadu will uphold their faith in this alternative on May 13, 2009.