Heir apparent sallies forth to take load off patriarch

Unmindful of the heat, Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin, Tamil Nadu deputy chief minister and DMK’s 58-year-old  heir apparent, has chosen to conduct his state-wide campaign by road on behalf of the DMK-Congress-PMK-VCK alliance for the April 13 Assembly elections.
 Looking cool and relaxed, a politically mature Stalin shoulders a huge responsibility as the DMK-front’s second chief campaigner to ease the burden of his father, Chief Minister Karunanidhi.

Dressed as usual in spotless white and sporting a black-and-red (DMK colours) shawl around his neck, Stalin got into his white six-seater ‘Sprinter’ van, as he set off on Wednesday on his poll campaign in Namakkal district.  At his first meeting venue here, partymen burst multi-thousand cracker chains to herald the arrival of their ‘Thalapathy’ (commander)’. At every meeting he covered over a 70-km radius, Stalin’s thrust is entirely on the DMK’s achievements, peppered with barbed comments against the DMK’s main rival, the J Jayalalitha-led AIADMK. He prefers to reserve the sharper jibes for actor-founder of DMDK, Vijaykant, to the delight of his youth audience.

Excerpts from an interview:

Q: How is the campaign going and how many seats will your front win?

A: Our campaign has been going remarkably well. The promises we made during the 2006 Assembly elections have been implemented 100 per cent. The people believe firmly that the DMK will return to power.   The existing welfare schemes and concessions will continue only if ‘Kalaignar’s rule’ continues. Not if the AIADMK gains power. I notice that the people fear that Jayalalitha might terminate welfare schemes. The DMK (though contesting only 119 of the 234 seats) is confident of winning a majority on its own. We expect the ‘Democratic Progressive Alliance’ led by it to win at least 200 to 225 seats.”

Q: There have been complaints in several villages that not all have got the free colour TVs and cooking gas connections?

A: We have completed 98.99 per cent of the colour television sets distribution. As for gas connections, the Centre has to give the linkage. But tokens have been given to all the eligible beneficiaries.

Q. Can you give your assessment of how the schemes have actually reached the people?

A: Both as local administration minister and deputy chief minister later, I have visited every district at least five times in a year. It has been an enormously successful people’s reach out effort. In women’s Self Help Groups in villages, whether it was 500 or 5,000 members, I have personally handed over loan cheques to each of them. The earlier AIADMK regime used SHGs for party gains, but we have networked with banks to help the SHGs.

Q: Your party has alleged that the Election Commission’s (EC) strict implementation of the poll code is favouring the AIADMK?

A: Yes, as our leader ‘Kalaignar’ has said, the EC is acting in a way as though there is an undeclared Emergency in the state. They are not even informing the government, as the norms require, when a police or other official is transferred. This is regrettable.

Q: Is an anti-incumbency sentiment causing concern?

A: No. In the past, after a government completed five years in office and went to the people, they were often met with resentment and criticism. This time this is not happening. From the corporation to the lowest panchayat level, fruits of development have reached the people. At least one welfare scheme has reached all households in one form or another and so the people are with us.

Q: What about the price rise and severe power cuts?

A.  It is a global problem. What the DMK government has done is to increase the purchasing power of the masses and taken steps like the cheap rice scheme. Only the Opposition is making a big issue out of this.

Q: Will the 2G spectrum scam affect DMK’s poll prospects?
A: Certainly not. It will not affect us in any way.
DH News Service