Ottapidaram: Krishnasamy may squeak through

By Radha Venkatesan

TUTICORIN, MAY 6. It is perhaps the most communally-volatile constituency in Tamil Nadu. It was in the Kodiyangulam hamlet in this expansive constituency that there was a major Dalit upsurge in October 1995, following a police attack on the villagers.

And, it was the Kodiyangulam riots which pitchforked a little- known Dr. K. Krishnasamy as a legislator and Dalit leader as well.

The Puthiya Tamilagam (PT) chief, who won from the constituency by a margin of a little over 1,000 votes, is testing the Dalit vote base here again. Extremely confident of smooth sailing, he has not even begun his campaigning. ``It is enough if I spend a day or two in Ottapidaram,'' he claims.

But his Dalit rivals including the Devendra Kula Vellalar Youth Sangam leader, Mr. C. Pasupathy Pandian, and the AIADMK candidate, Mr. A. Sivaperumal, are trying hard to split the Dalit-Pallar vote base, mainstay of Dr. Krishnasamy.

A Jayalalitha Peravai functionary, Mr. Sivaperumal claims: ``I will get all BC votes (Thevar and Naicker). If even there is a nominal cut in Dr. Krishnasamy's Pallar vote share, I will comfortably win.''

The AIADMK hopes that a considerable number of Pallar votes would go into Mr. Pasupathy Pandian's kitty, leaving Dr. Krishnasamy in trouble.

But, Mr. Pasupathy Pandian claims that he is not in the contest to help the AIADMK, but to win. ``I met Ms. Jayalalitha. But that does not mean that I have been put up by the AIADMK to split the Pallar votes,'' he insists.

To the comfort of the AIADMK, the Dalit pockets are not so hostile as it was a few years ago. All the same, most Dalits in the Ottapidaram union, though not entirely happy with Dr. Krishnasamy's work in the constituency, have not drifted away.

``He (Dr. Krishnasamy) may not have brought water projects for this parched place. But we are able to hold our heads high and walk on the streets without fear. So, we will vote for him,'' says a Dalit farmer at Pulliyanpatti in the Ottapidaram union.

For the PT leader, the major hassle appears to be the attitude of local DMK workers and a possible ``consolidation of BC votes.''

The local DMK workers, particularly, Thevars and Naickers, are opposed to the party's tie-up with the PT. ``We are not for this alliance. And, Dr. Krishnasamy has not done much to the constituency particularly in the BC pockets,'' argue the DMK youth.

If the majority of the DMK votes, which was about 22,000 in the last Assembly election, Dr. Krishnasamy would be in trouble. But, if at least half the DMK's vote share falls into his kitty and there is no major dent in his Dalit vote bank, the PT leader can romp home.

And, if the MDMK candidate, Mr. Gurusamy Krishnan, grabs a chunk of the over 20,000 Naicker votes which would otherwise go to the AIADMK, it would be ``advantage Dr. Krishnasamy.''

At the moment, Ottapidaram appears not too unsafe for the PT chief, and he could make a squeak yet again.

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