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Tamaraikani
forgets sentiments as he takes on son in TN
L. Srikrishna
Srivilliputtur,
April 24: After winning Tamil Nadu’s Srivilliputtur Assembly
seat regularly since 1977 except once, municipality chairman Ramasamy
Tamaraikani has an unusual contest ahead. The 54-year-old Independent
candidate faces none other than son T. Inbathamizhan, 27, fielded
by the AIADMK.
‘‘With
the blessings of Kanchi Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal, I am in
the fray,’’ says Tamaraikani, adding that the senior pontiff
of the Sankara Math was keen that he contest the polls.
He says the
Swamigal had insisted with the state BJP leadership to give him
the seat but L. Ganesan decided to field Mohan Rajulu, who hails
from Rajapalayam, a neighbouring pocket.
Introduced
into politics by AIADMK founder M.G. Ramachandran, Tamaraikani lost
from this holy town only once — in 1989. The DMK won the seat
while he had contested as a candidate of the AIADMK (Janaki faction).
Even during
the 1991 sympathy wave in favour of the Congress following Rajiv
Gandhi’s assassination, he won as an Independent, defeating
the official AIADMK candidate.
Asked about
his parting ways with the AIADMK, Tamaraikani says he was put off
by Jayalalitha’s ‘‘disrespect’’ for senior
party leaders. ‘‘Today, the party functions like a Forward
Bloc unit, with the blessings of Sasikala and her associates,’’
he says.
On the AIADMK’s
charge that he wasn’t allowing his son to contest the elections,
Tamaraikani says: ‘‘When I asked Jayalalitha’s permission
to field my son for the local body elections, she did not acknowledge
my request. However, I asked my son to contest as an Independent,
and he won.’’
Apparently taking a dig at the AIADMK chief, he says there isn’t
a single corruption charge against him unlike the case of other
politicians.
Tamaraikani
refuses to accept the charge that he ditched Jaya to serve his political
interests, reminding how he stood by the AIADMK chief during her
crises. ‘‘She has failed to recognise my contribution.
In the case related to the incident inside the Tamil Nadu Assembly,
Jayalalitha insisted that I serve the jail term I was sentenced
to. This when even minister Anbazhagan pardoned me,’’
he says. Tamaraikani had assaulted Agriculture minister Veerapandi
Arumugam in the Assembly.
‘‘Inspite
of the abuses, I remained with Jayalalitha just because the party
was founded by MGR, my political guru. Jayalalitha planned to end
my political career and went to the extent of alloting the seat
to my son Inbathamizhan, thinking that I would stay away.
“No sentiments
can intervene in public life. With the blessings of the Kanchi Jayendra
Saraswathi Swamigal, I will win the elections,’’ he says.
Asked to spell
out his plans for the constituency, Tamaraikani says: ‘‘I
don’t meet the electorate just during poll time and give tall
promises as is being done by others.
“There
is no need to list out plans. Whenever people have approached me,
their problems have been sorted out. I hope my people will reciprocate,’’
he says.
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