An Inchoate Coalition Has Failed The Five State Election Test
By S. Sivathasan –
S. Sivathasan
An Amorphous Group Going Apart
Can mucus do the work of glue? Never, as experience has shown. Did the negative sentiment “Deny Modi a Third Term” have the ingredients to cement an incongruous entity of 26 Parties into a composite whole? No two parties in that diverse lot had anything in common. From the outset the tendencies were fissiparous. Then why attempt to weld 26 together? There is a saying in Tamil, “even 5 chicks are not enough for a broth.” What self-knowledge! To meet a colossus as is Modi, even 25 parties wouldn’t suffice. So, 26 was a shrewder calculation.
At the recent election an intelligent mass of 4 states taught the anti BJP cabal, a lesson of their lives through December 3rd results. The prominent 4, reckoned as a single bloc – BJP – had an encounter with it’s adversaries for 638 seats. It won a handsome 340 seats scoring a majority of 142 or 41%. This itself signifies great possibilities for BJP, in May 2024 at the Lok Sabha election.
On a Slippery Incline
From now to elections, a long 5 months are available for the ruling party to secure a third consecutive term. Even as Modi is in the saddle and on the ascent in India, Annamalai gets on to the threshold of making a sound contribution in Tamil Nadu. The images below show his speech in Tanjore, the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu over the centuries. The massive areas are referred to as Delta, close to the heart and mind of the farming community and yet not cared for much by the two Dravidian parties and by Congress. The farmers are drawn into the fold of BJP by Annamalai with care shown and immediate action taken by Modi government.
Fake Promises
In a cryptic speech, he cited the 511 promises made by the DMK in its Manifesto. Even after passing 30 months of its 60 months term, it has not implemented even 20 promises. Why? Because they were fake intended to cheat the voters and get their votes. Apart from this dishonesty was incompetence.
NEET
Abolishing the NEET examination for Tamil Nadu students to enter the Medical Colleges not on merit but through bribes, all of which have been exposed. How unconscionable to demand a different rule for Tamil Nadu when another prevailed for the rest of India. May it be known that ever since Tamil Nadu had the benefit of NEET, students of far better calibre and many more in number have entered Medical Colleges. In recent years there was commendable performance year after year through the NEET mode. In the current year 144,516 appeared for NEET and pass percentage was 54.45.
In 2023, the state obtained the highest number of seats, with 74 colleges offering 11,575 MBBS placements. Karnataka was 2nd and Uttara Pradesh 3rd. Source: Official Website.
Gift of Rs.!,000/= Per Month to Women
What for? The question was asked. A spur of the moment election pronouncement was the answer. It was not abided by and Annamalai’s torturing queries were not answerable. First announce, then ponder and finally pronounce its impracticality.
This was reminiscent of what CN Annadurai promised in 1967 at the Legislative Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. He said “the DMK instead of giving you 1 measure of rice for 3 rupees, will give you 3 measures of rice for I rupee”. There was nothing in the kitty to redeem his platform oratory or to salve a troubled conscience when the masses vented their disappointment. Yet he rose to the occasion. He declared “that was our aspiration, this is our achievement”. Tamil Stalin is no Penelope to weave by day and unweave by night. He is now between the hammer and the anvil.
Now the Deluge
From April, lightening, thunder and then the deluge in sequence. On 15th April this year, President of BJP, State of Tamil Nadu released for public viewership the colossal size of corruption in the state. The total amount encompassed 18 political personages and the amount was Rs.1.3Trillion if not more as further revelations by state investigating agencies have shown. A second list of another Rs.1 billion is due. This disclosure struck several circles like lightening making them lose their composure.
The crusader in this encounter is K. Annamalai, well known now even outside the confines of India. What followed was a much-publicized Padayatra which ended up always with a well informed discourse laced with relevant facts and minutely studied statistics. At all events he thundered and nothing was lost on the listenership. Multi media has taken the messages far and wide. What is strange is that intelligent young men moved by a fervour for a renascent Tamil Nadu have opened up news channels to convey the magnitude of resurgence and of change. Never have I seen this efflorescence in Tamil Nadu since 1947.
The Literal Deluge
The Padayatra and the speeches were themselves a deluge figuratively. To complement them further was the electoral eradication of coalition partners in central India, while handing over a resounding victory to BJP. Close on the heels of this deluge on December3rd, was the literal deluge of Chennai in unprecedented proportions starting from the following day.
It opened the floodgates to condemnation of corruption under years of Dravidian Model governance. The DMK got drowned in the deepest depths of infamy, when the CM of Tamil Nadu gave statistics of expenditure on flood prevention measures totally contrary to what the Deputy CM and others had declared. Well ahead of the Deluge in November 2023, the Deputy and several others had proudly said that the state had spent 98% of the allocation of Rs 40 Billion, set apart for flood prevention. They further boasted that such colossal expenditure incurred well in advance will prevent even a drop of rain staying on land.
The retributive downpour blasted the incredible lies leaving DMK politicians no space to hide from the swelling wrath of the people. The people themselves were driven out from their homes. On the road, many were chest deep in water a level that would not easily subside. Aware of what had happened to the finances, which were people’s tax money, they demanded to know and shouted in chorus WHAT HAPPENED TO THE RS. 40 BILLION? More woeful than getting flooded out, was DMK’s acts of treachery in diverting funds away from people’s needs into private repositories.
In no more than two weeks, retributive justice has displayed its malign hand to the dispensers of ‘Dravidian Model’ governance. Now Southern Tamil Nadu has faced the same fate as their Northern counterparts. The agonizing experience of the sufferers will show its power before May 2024 in Tamil Nadu.
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