Tamilians hope Amma boosts TN's image

MUMBAI: On Friday, Tamil Nadu came closer to West Bengal in spirit than geography will ever allow. There too, the formidable ruling party was defeated by a female archrival. The only difference was that few saw it coming.

Not only had poll pundits given the scam-hit Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) a 50% chance of winning, they also overemphasized the importance of free TV sets and two-rupee rice. The smart electorate swallowed the freebies but showed that corruption was indeed an issue.


As Jayalalithaa's All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) inched closer to victory early in the day, the delight was clearly visible on the faces of many Tamilians in the city. In two Tamil strongholds, Matunga and Dharavi, people were pleased that the Karunanidhi clan was heading for defeat.

"No political party can take its voters for granted and this is a classic example," said Matunga resident Govind Muthukumar. "Maybe after seeing how the electorate was being bribed with television sets distributed by the DMK, the voters outsmarted them by saying the party did not deserve to win."

Many Dharavi residents, who were following the election results as closely as a Rajinikanth-starrer, were delighted by the DMK's ouster. Mary Fernandes said, "The DMK brought disgrace to the country. Karunanidhi's associates and relatives, like A Raja and Kanimozhi, are being investigated in the 1.76 lakh crore 2G scam. This was the dressing down we were hoping for."

"We are happy that Amma (Jayalalithaa) has come to power and we hope that she will help improve the poor image that Tamil Nadu has recently earned due to the scam," said another resident, Ruben Fernandes, 29, who hails from Tuticorin.

However, people hoped that the AIADMK does not let the voters of Tamil Nadu down. Nataraj Mudaliyar sounded a note of caution, saying that the electorate should not get carried away by the AIADMK's victory and that Jayalalithaa should now work towards development and not just pursue an agenda of vendetta.