| Caste
cauldron keeps forces on toes
Karthik
Subramaniam
Chidambaram,
May 7:
It is not the vote you cast, but the caste you vote which seems
to matter in Chidambaram taluk of Cuddalore district in Tamil Nadu.
Chidambaram constituency, traditionally known for its temples and
communal flare-ups, is bracing itself for yet another violent polls.
Over 10,000
paramilitary forces are ready for deployment. So are the 500 odd
armed reserve force and the district police. Violence is no stranger
to these districts. The area adjoining Kumbakonam-Madras Highway
has seen several communal flare-ups in the recent past, with the
PMK and the Dalit Panthers, blaming each other for it.
Two years ago,
six buses were burnt in clashes between two dominant communities
in the rural areas of Kumarakudi and Sethiathoppe.
More recently,
on April 29, PMK candidate for Chidambaram, Arivuchelvan, lodged
a complaint with Cho-latharam police alleging his convoy was attacked
by a rival camp, while he was returning from Than-daran Kuppam.
Incidentally,
DPI convenor R. Thirumalvalavan was campaigning in Cholavaram that
night. The emergence of PMK and DPI, dominated by Vanniyars and
Dalits owing allegiance to the two parties respectively, has seen
more such flare-ups in the last three to four years.
With over 1.6
lakh on cards, both the DMK as well as the AIADMK are playing the
communal card this time around. DMK has fielded local lad K. Saravanan,
son of former MLA Krishnamurthy, while on behalf of AIADMK front,
PMK has fielded Arivu-chelvan.
Both candidates
belong to the Vanniyar community. While the DMK is by far comfortable
with the town voters, the fight for the rural electorate is a pitched
one. The PMK has made an impact on rural masses, as was evident
from the campaign trials of PMK leader S. Ramadoss and, more recently,
his son R. Anbumani. It is here the DPI hopes to help DMK by garnering
Dalit votes in the villages. One person who should worry DMK, even
though on a minor scale, is MDMK candidate Mohanasundaram. A known
leader, Mohanasundaram could end up gathering a crucial number of
votes that could narrow the fight between DMK and PMK.
The fight could
well be even as Arivuchelvan does not belong to Chidambaram. Despite
his good attributes, he is from Ariyalur and the DMK cadre treat
him as an outsider. The hypothesis that the respective community
members will vote for parties claiming their loyalty could be disproved.
There are sizeable AIADMK sympathisers even among Dalits and DPI
sympathisers among Vanniyars, promising a tight finish in this constituency.
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