A music troupe plays a gana song — “ lattu pola lakkula mattina figuru ” — and a group of party men dance to the rhythms of a thappu aatam troupe from Dindigul even as they wait for their leader to appear.
Post his first campaign of this election from Saidapet, DMK chief M. Karunanidhi was back on the campaign trail on Friday, this time in Chepauk — a constituency that has returned him to the Assembly thrice. This time, J. Anbazhagan is seeking his second-straight mandate from the seat.
Former Minister A. Rahman Khan, who is not contesting the election this time, is seen sitting alone on the pavement at the Ice House junction in Chepauk-Triplicane, waiting for the team to arrive.
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When asked about his electoral prediction, he expectedly toes the party line and says that the DMK is poised to emerge victorious.
People, meanwhile, while away the time even as the clock strikes 4 p.m., the time the veteran leader is expected to arrive. When he does make an appearance, it is almost 6 p.m., well after the evening prayer in the mosque.
As the DMK chief begins his address and his familiar voice fills the air, the crowd erupts in cheers. He immediately gets into the thick of things, attacking Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. The AIADMK’s manifesto, the former Chief Minister adds, is “full of loopholes.” He even accuses Ms. Jayalalithaa of attempts to fool the voters with the promise of gifts and freebies.
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And then comes the message for the party cadre. Though opinion polls in some sections of the media have predicted a bright future for the DMK, he warns them not to get complacent and tells them to leave no stone unturned in the quest for victory. “Do not rely too much on these polls. Continue to work vigorously for the victory of the DMK,” he says, as the crowd strains to hear his words.
“The State has plunged into anarchy during the five-year rule of the AIADMK. The Chief Minister has announced gifts and freebies and it is impossible to implement her promises. Voting the DMK to power alone can reverse the situation,” Mr. Karunanidhi continues, addressing scores of people who have gathered at the busy junction, which has been temporarily decked up and converted into a venue for a public meeting.
The green flags of the Indian Union Muslim League and the black-and-white flags of the Manithaneya Makkal Katchi — equal in number to the ones of the largest party in the alliance — flutter in the evening breeze. Despite the breeze, the heat is unbearable. Most of those present, including burqa-clad women, try to cool themselves usinghand-held fans emblazoned with the image of Mr. Karunanidhi kissing his heir apparent and party treasurer M.K. Stalin.
‘Your friend’
The DMK leader then moves on to Thousand Lights, and later to MMDA Colony. Everywhere, huge crowds are present to greet him. But he spends a little time at these venues, moving on quickly.
“The DMK is your friend,” he says. “We depend on your votes to win the election. Your votes alone can uplift the Motherland.” Recalling Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s allegation that the government failed to rush help to victims of last year’s floods, he says that the ruling party has scant regard for the suffering of people.
“Only the DMK rule will usher in a new dawn,” he says before signing off.