NATION | Sunday, April 26, 2009 | Email | Print | 
Heat, Vaiko disappoint voters
Swati Das | Virudhunagar
The hot sweltering sun has a piercing affect even in the morning in K Vallapuram, a hamlet in Kallikuri block of Thirumangalam segment of Virudhunagar constituency. But a few people gathered at the Kaliamman Koil Thidal (mother Kali temple's square) are eagerly waiting for the MDMK Chief Vaiko to arrive and address them.
This is an agricultural village with over 1,600 voters, of whom some have stayed back to take care of their fields. It had rained heavily last week and the farmers wish to make full use of the water logged in their fields.
This is a segment where Vaiko is pitted against Congress’ Manik Tagore and DMDK’s K Pandeyarah and would have to woo new voters. As people begin trickling near the temple, the entourage arrives led by Vaiko’s campaign van.
Vaiko stands in his van and addresses the people. He identifies himself as being one of them. “You may not have seen me. I have been an MP from Sivakasi three times. I am also a farmer like you. My father used to own land and I used to till it. But as days went by, we lost our land. In Sivakasi I ran a campaign against Hepatitis B. I even campaigned for it in the Parliament. There is no cure for this, except one vaccine. And I organised for it. The children who were treated with this vaccine have since grown and are married.”
He then switches over to a new topic and refers to the alleged distribution of money during the Thirumangalam by-election in June: “There are some parties that distribute money. I don’t have any money to give you. I cannot buy votes. If you trust me, vote for me. I will come to this village again, whether you vote for me or not.” This is the area where almost all the parties were alleged to have distributed Rs 3,000-5,000 to every voter during the Thirumangalam by-election.
On seeing journalists, Vaiko doesn’t lose the opportunity to raise his pet Sri Lankan issue. “The journalists here will hear me and write all sorts of things about me. Chief Minister Karunanidhi has given instruction to all the journalists not to publish my statements. Yet I will tell what I have to tell. Don’t trust anything that is coming in the newspapers about Sri Lanka. Don’t believe what President Rajapakse is saying. He is a liar. He is killing all Tamil people, all innocent women and children. People are dying because there is no medicine. The Centre may have sent Shiv Shankar Menon and MK Narayanan but it’s all a drama. I will talk about it here as well as in the Parliament, if I am elected.” He then dwells on how he campaigned for the issues of Cauvery water and the Mullaiperiyar dam. The people respond with applause. “I now stand before you as a lawyer. Give me a chance. You are the judges,” he ended.
As he gets ready to leave the village and is asked how much the Sri Lankan issue has affected the people, he defiantly says, “No, I will not answer your questions.”
His entourage then moves on to the next hamlet — Palapucherry, where he keeps his speech short but repeats his introductory statements about being an MP from Sivaganga. “Vote for me. Vote for the the symbol of bambaram (top),” Vaiko says.
The next halt is in the main Kallikuri village, under a Neem tree, where he eulogises the benefits and virtues of the tree and tells the people how its shade is good for health, while the shade of a tamarind tree is bad for health. Even though few journalists are around, Vaiko goes full throttle criticising UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi for the developments in Sri Lanka. He charges her of being directly responsible for the killings, “Tamils are being killed at her instance. Pregnant women are being aborted and children killed.”
He ends his speech in the usual manner pleading to give him a chance. As he leaves the village, a group of women from a society mill discuss: “Someone said that a politician was giving money. So I came running. I too thought we would get some money.” Their expectations (of receiving money) were evidently high.
But Vaiko disappointed them.
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