NDA campaign changes tack

By V. Jayanth

CHENNAI, APRIL 30. While the ruling DMK continues to place corruption as the centerpiece of its election campaign, focusing sharply on the cases against the AIADMK general secretary, Ms. Jayalalitha, corruption does not appear to have emerged as the dominant issue in this campaign. That is the level to which `public tolerance' has descended, of course to the regret of old timers.

As Mr. J. Kalyanaraman, an academic in Nagapattinam, puts it: ``The unfortunate tragedy today is that corruption has become a part of public life. From the birth of a child to the cremation or burial of the dead, we have to grease the palms of somebody to get things done. The difference lies only in the degree of corruption.''

It was because Ms. Jayalalitha was convicted in the TANSI land sale cases and ran the risk of disqualification to contest elections that the DMK wanted to make corruption the main plank of its campaign.

And when her nomination papers were rejected in all the four constituencies where they were filed, it turned out to be an affirmation of their line.

By then, the AIADMK chief went on the offensive and launched a counter-campaign accusing the DMK regime and the Chief Minister, Mr. M. Karunanidhi's family, of corrupt practices. She has now initiated a `scam a day' campaign with the alleged dealings in the cement price increase through the cartel approach by the cement manufacturers.

The BJP, very keen to make inroads into Tamil Nadu, was also hoping to capitalise on corruption. But the Tehelka tapes have stopped the party in the tracks. As a consequence, the DMK-led front has fine-tuned its campaign to seek a fresh mandate based on the ``performance'' of the Karunanidhi Government.

It was Mr. P. Chidambaram, former Union Minister, recently expelled from the TMC for opposing its alliance with the AIADMK, who propounded the theory of `good governance' for this election. Describing politics as an `instrument of change to usher in good governance', he said, it was made up of many factors - Who will head the Government? Who will be the constituents of the Government? What will be the common minimum programme and will the Government abide by a code of conduct?

Reviving the spirit of 1996, when the TMC was born out of the Congress in protest against the alliance with the AIADMK, Mr. Chidambaram went on to float the TMC-Democratic Forum this time, for the same reason. He has emerged as a principle campaigner for the DMK-led front, presenting its achievements and `good governance' much more positively than the DMK Ministers.

The question that has arisen as a bitter campaign enters its last phase, is whether corruption and good governance are really the issues with the people. The feeling on the ground is that as far as corruption is concerned, ``it is a level playing field'' and there is really no choice. ``There may be a difference in degree and extent, but we see no basic difference between the AIADMK and the DMK. Of course, we are told the AIADMK chief has been convicted and disqualified from contesting, whereas the charges against many DMK Ministers have come unstuck. But we see no difference in conduct; corruption is not an issue anymore because all of them are corrupt,'' the educated among the voters argue.

They are afraid that political vendetta could become more common in future and any new Government will decide to prosecute the leaders and Ministers of the previous regime.

But they are all for `good governance'. Even with corruption, if the Government and the administration are able to deliver on promises and meet the basic needs of the people, they would be more than happy - that seems to be the compromise. To achieve that, the voters would like to see some kind of accountability for the MLAs, with the ultimate power to `recall' them if they fail to deliver.

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Section  : State Elections
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