With elections to the 39 lok Sabha constituencies from Tamil Nadu hardly 10 days away, there is a perceived Narendra Modi wave all across the State. Whether this wave will get translated into votes is something to be analysed carefully as the BJP is yet to get imbibe in the minds of people in Tamil Nadu.
But from Kanyakumari down south to Chennai in the north, people which include youth, illiterate rural women and casual labourers are aware of the phenomenon by name Narendra Modi and the kind of work he has done in Gujarat.“When the campaign began in March, the AIADMK was head and shoulders above all other parties. It looked like as if Jayalalithaa may sweep 35 out of the 39 seats at stake. But the last 15 days were quite eventful and the situation has undergone quick changes,” said
P Thiruma Velan, political commentator and editor, Junior Vikatan, a Tamil political weekly.
Mid-way the DMK, which was lagging behind in all respects, tried to revive the morale of the cadre which was at its lowest ebb since MK Stalin, the general secretary and heir apparent who was leading the campaign failed to enthuse them, according to Velan. “This forced the nonagenarian party chief M Karunanidhi to rework his campaign schedule. Karunanidhi who had praised Narendra Modi to the hilt and claimed that the latter was his good friend started attacking the BJP and its PM candidate to woo the minorities. This was because he felt the minorities were ditching the DMK since they were not sure whether Karunanidhi would align with the BJP after the polls,” said Velan.
Karunanidhi’s speeches at Coimbatore, Salem and Nagapattinam focussed more on attacking Modi and the BJP. He also said that he was willing to support the Congress which he ditched in 2013 for reasons best known to him only. “Don’t think we have left the hand or the hand has left us,” said Karunanidhi.
Since the NDA took time to gel and people were sceptical about Vijayakanth, Dr Ramdoss, Vaiko and other leaders coming together on a common platform, the DMK managed to gain some lost grounds during the interregnum. But the revelations made by MK Alagiri that TR Baalu, the DMK candidate from Tanjavur is the embodiment of corruption and has amassed wealth worth thousands of crore rupees put the clock back.
Sunday’s election rally at Chennai addressed by Narendra Modi and his meeting with super star Rajnikanth has brought the NDA back into reckoning. No-holds-barred attacks have begun with Modi setting the tone with his offer of equal status to the States in governance of the country. “There was likelihood of the DMK pocketing at least 10 seats in the bout but with top BJP leaders like lK Advani, Rajnath Singh, Venkaiah Naidu, Nitin Gadkari and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi scheduled to tour the State, the NDA is all set to give sleepless nights to all others,” said Velan.
There are initial fears that the NDA may not gel well too has been proved wrong with Vijayakanth (DMDK), Vaiko (MDMK) and BJP leaders jointly campaigning all over the State seeking votes for Narendra Modi. The only jarring note seems to be the reluctance of S Ramdoss, the founder leader of the PMK, to share the dais with other constituents of the NDA. But Anbumani is trying to compensate for the absence of his father.
Whether it be Vignesh Raj, a PhD scholar at PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, or Valmeeki Raja, a fisherman of Devipattanam or Anantha Ganeshan, principal, Sree Krishna Matriculation School, Pollachi or Seeniyamma, a 70-year-old illiterate housewife from Sivaganga, all see a saviour in Narendra Modi.