Politics in Vellore
At first, I found it very
strange that only people from some families in Vellore stood for elections.
They also appeared to win generation after generation. It is almost like a
family business. The net result? Vellore has been a DMK stronghold for as far
back as I can remember.
Finally, after winning four
elections, the old MLA died. He had no biological children,
his adopted son refused to enter politics, and his grandson (who was
interested), was too young to be taken
seriously , other families jumped into the fray.
I then realized that it is not just Vellore, we
are just a microcosm, politics is a family business all over the country. We
have the same thing going on in the Congress party, Utter Pradesh, Bihar etc.
The new entrees into the
murky world of politics in Vellore give several reasons for joining---
A woman who worked as
cook, was standing for the local
panchayat elections.
“How did you get money? Did
the party you are representing give it to you?”
Her explanation was quite
bizarre. ”My father was run over by a truck when he was urinating on the road.
I received a lakh of rupees. I decided to invest it in standing for the election.”
She had studied up to the
fifth grade, so she was literate, but just about. One of the major political
parties was supporting her. (Don’t they have a minimum educational qualification
for these things?).
“I need to change the roof of
my house. It leaks.”
“Are you going to invest your
money in that?”
“Oh no”, she said, I am going
to construct a new house.”
“With a lakh of rupees?”
“No, my husband said we will
receive much much more as bribes. The area is near the river. Mining of sand is illegal, so to allow it I will get
a lot of money for that.”
“What about constructing
toilets and other public works?”
“I don’t really care,” she
replied “that is their problem. After
all we have managed without a toilet for so many years!”
(She lost the elections and
her inheritance as well).
These local elections are a
reflection of the larger picture in the state. Everyone looks for “freebies.”
The local party workers have to distribute all kinds of things (mainly cash)
before the elections. (The officially announced freebies come later). The money
is provided by the party headquarters, workers siphon some off, and, by the
time it reaches the candidate very little is left. They have to invest money themselves and hope to make it back
with a profit if and when they win. They work with the connivance of the
electricity board. As they get ready to distribute the money the electricity to
the locality is cut for a consideration. With 15-20 minutes the power is
restored. The local workers know the bylanes and go house to house in the dark.
The Election commission (from out of state) is clueless. The money is
transported too with a great deal of ingenuity, in spare tyres, siren wailing
ambulances etc
Another family hit upon a
sure fire strategy to win. They decided to run in tandem, one brother for the
DMK and the other for the AIDMK. It became a standing joke in town. There was a
third brother, who could have stood for the
BJP, making it a hat trick . Unfortunately he died a couple of years ago
after choking on a samosa. Needless to say some other political aspirant
sneaked to the head office of the party and one of them was denied a seat.
Obviously parties are joined for convenience and very rarely for principles.
There is a widespread
misconception that party workers should be provided a lot of free alcohol. They
then wander around the street in motor rallies with red eyes and loud
speakers. The general public stays well out of their way. The actual candidates
stay sober though and surrounded by often drunk dancing party workers ask for
votes with demure folded hands.
A couple of elections ago, a
candidate’s brother was chased down the street by knife wielding assailants and
then killed on one of the main streets in Vellore. Shocked passers by ducked
into shops and no one tried to stop the two perpetuators.
Another party worker was
decapitated on the main street a couple of years ago. One man decapitated him
and lifted his head up Roman style. The other held bystanders at bay.
Later on it turned out that
political rivalry was not the reason at all. He was involved in shady real estate dealings. Most of the dealings
were with unaccounted money. Some one somewhere along the way someone was
cheated and this was payback. There was also a love angle to the whole
business. Blaming politics was an easy way out.
The results are out and DMK
has won again. It seems that people have now become tech savy. They know that
there is no way the party workers can figure out who voted for whom. They just
accept the cash and goodies and then vote as they please. Even religious
leaders are not able to hold their flocks in check!
May be by the time the next
election rolls around , more of the electorate will be educated and tech savy.
It might take our leaders another 20 years to figure this out though!
Health columnist The Telegraph Kolkata
Author: Staying Healthy in Modern India
Family Care Centre
13/1 Filter Bed Road
Vellore 632001
+91 416 2226204 (For appointments)
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