Thoothukudi: Kanimozhi the poet has charmed Thoothukudi. The DMK leader is a familiar face in the Lok Sabha constituency. She has been meeting the people and strengthening the party booth committees for a year now.
She has a formidable rival in BJP state president Tamilisai Soundararajan but the daughter of M Karunanidhi seems unperturbed. The election campaign starts only after 5 in the evening thanks to the oppressive peak summer in Tamil Nadu.
A crowd has gathered at the new bus stand to welcome Kanimozhi, the “beloved sister”. Women perform the customary “arti” as the candidate arrives in an open jeep, clad in party colours of black and red.
The announcement harps on the party’s equations with the Congress and showers allegations on the BJP-led government at the centre. The AIADMK government in the state is just a puppet of the BJP, the announcer says.
Kanimozhi’s husband, Aravindan, follows the jeep in a blue BMW X. The candidate’s convoy is greeted by workers of the Congress and the communist parties alike. Kanimozhi remembers to tweak her speech according to local requirements.
She promises to make petrol and diesel cheaper and points out that that the rollout of the Goods and Services Tax has knocked off Rs 6,000 crore from the state’s tax revenue.
She also takes a snipe at BJP leaders for their sudden concern for Thoothukudi. “The BJP has discovered that there is a land called Thoothukudi,” she mocks the visit by BJP president Amit Shah. “Where were they when 13 people were gunned down here amid the agitation against Sterlite? Tamilisai has promised a bullet train but she was not seen anywhere near here until now.”
Soundararajan, the daughter of former Congress leader Kumari Ananthan, is known for her fiery talks that contrasts with Kanimozhi’s lyrical speeches. While Soundararajan plays the caste card to the hilt, Kanimozhi’s focus is on the constituency’s development.
The election is a watershed in Tamil Nadu politics as it would define the state politics after the departure of two heavyweights - DMK’s Karunanidhi and AIADMK’s Jayalalithaa.
