Days after the passing away of the former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, her presence is still felt in the city. Not because she is commemorated, but as the Tamil Nadu ‘poll freebies’ with her mark continue to flow in for sale here.
Sellers from Nellore have been touring parts of the city with stocks mixers and tabletop grinders featuring photos of Jayalalithaa since a couple of days. While a mixer is being sold at Rs. 500, a grinder is being traded at Rs. 1, 300 a piece.
People in Patamata, Autonagar, APIIC Colony and others are thronging the roadside sale at ZP High School Road in Patamata, near Pantakalava Road, to buy the mixers and grinders that are being sold at a cheaper price. As the word spread, people started flocking the counters of the sellers.
Earlier, sellers from Chennai held roadside sales in Krishnalanka of the city and Tadepalli, a village of Guntur district close to the city. Now, to sell off more stock sellers, they had planned to visit various areas in the city and Patamata is the first stop.
“There was tremendous response from people since morning, and the rush even caused traffic jam on the road. Police who visited the spot cleared the traffic but did not disturb the sales,” said A. Venkatrao, a shopkeeper on Pantakalava Road.
A few of the buyers returned complaining that the appliances were not working and also got them exchanged, he said.
Significantly, the sellers say that the sales shot up post the demise of the leader. This is despite the ongoing cash crunch. The mixers and grinders were meant to distribution during recent Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu.
“I am just trying luck by spending Rs. 500. It may not be the best product, but I think it will work for at least six months. We can also keep this in memory of ‘Amma’,” said Subramanyam, an elderly man who bought a mixer.
