MGR flashback in Virudhachalam

It is harvest time in the sugarcane belt of northern Tamil Nadu. As the harsh sun beats down on the fields in Kombadikuppam

It is harvest time in the sugarcane belt of northern Tamil Nadu. As the harsh sun beats down on the fields in Kombadikuppam, 10 km from Virudhachalam, 30-odd Dalits chop the sugarcane stalks, at times springing back in fear when a hissing viper startles them. It is part of their humdrum life. Now there8217;s a new lilt in their voices: they believe MGR is back.

They are certain their MGR8212;actor Vijayakant8212;will ensure there8217;s enough rice for them and jobs that would help them bring home a decent pay. May 11, the day the assembly election results of the Virudhachalam constituency were announced, was observed as the 8216;day of deliverance8217;. Vijayakant won from there, beating his PMK rival by about 13,500 votes.

Seventy-five of the 120 Dalit voters in the village, who had over the years always stood behind the AIADMK, voted for Vijayakant, a familiar face in the rural constituency where villagers trek 10 km to the town8217;s theatres to see his films, which usually depict the hero pursuing a corrupt politician and ushering a golden era for the poor.

8216;8216;Our MGR is back with us. Our 8216;colony8217; as the Dalit quarters is called will have good roads, the rains will not flood our huts anymore and we will have a school for our children,8217;8217; said S Veeramani, the new secretary of the Vijayakant Fan Club and until a month ago, the colony8217;s DMK functionary.

Kombadikuppam village, dominated by the Vanniyars, had been fiercely loyal to the PMK from 1991 when the party entered the election fray, unfailingly voting for 8216;Doctor Aiyaa8217;8212;as Dr S Ramadoss, the PMK founder, is called. They were grateful that Doctor Aiyaa had got them the Most Backward Caste status.

But a political novice in an emblematic fur cap changed all that. Results show that nearly 500 Vanniyars in the village voted for Vijayakant, who effectively crumbled the PMK base and ate into the other parties8217; Dalit vote bank. Said K Kumar, the PMK8217;s branch secretary in the village: 8216;8216;This time I too voted for Vijayakant. We all believe he will do good for us. Just look at the way he beat up the evil politician in Ezhai Jaathi The Poor.8217;8217;

Kumar8217;s enthusiasm is a reflection of the changing loyalties in the state that resulted in Vijayakant8217;s fledgling DMDK garnering an overall vote share of 8.33 per cent. The MGR hangover may have been a factor, but more correctly the actor8217;s success came because the voters desired change and saw an alternative.

jaya.menonexpressindia.com