#thoothukudi: amit shah brings up pulwama but the anger against bjp is palpable

A fisherman from Thoothukudi, Jesubalan never cared much for politics or elections. Owning a small country boat, his life didn’t go beyond the sea, the fish he caught, his four children, and

his beloved wife. Things changed on May 22, 2018. Jesubalan’s wife Jhansi was shot dead by the Tamil Nadu police when they opened fire on an unarmed crowd of 20,000 people protesting the

expansion of the Sterlite plant. Thirteen people were killed, including Jhansi. Jesubalan’s interest in politics spiked straight from indifference to rage. “She was on her way to her

sister’s house to give some gravy and was not involved in the protests in any way. My house is at least 13 km from the protest site,” he told _Newslaundry_. After an hour passed and his wife

did not return, he went searching for her. That’s when he learned that the policemen who shot Jhansi had wrapped her body in a flex banner and taken it away before crowds could gather. When

Jayabalan reached the spot where she had been shot, only his wife’s brains remained, splattered on the street. _JESUBALAN WITH A PHOTO OF HIS WIFE._ He says, “I have never been interested

in politics, neither do I watch TV or read newspapers. But now I am, and I know that the people of my town have neither forgotten nor forgiven the shootout and the politicians behind it.”

Thoothukudi is a coastal city in Tamil Nadu, where the sea breeze helps in flushing out air pollutants. It’s also the only town in the state to figure in the list of top 100 cities put out

by the Union Ministry of Environments, Forests and Climate Change where air quality parameters are several times higher than prescribed norms. This brings us to this particular protest,

which lasted 100 days, opposing the Sterlite plant’s expansion as the town was already being choked by its emissions—which culminated in the events of May 22. Having received no assurances

from the State, protestors marched to the collector’s office. That’s when the police opened fire. _TAMILISAI SOUNDARARAJAN MAKING AN IMPASSIONED SPEECH IN THOOTHUKUDI._ In the aftermath of

the shooting, Thoothukudi will be closely watched as two high-profile candidates—MK Kanimozhi from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s state unit president

Tamilisai Soundararajan—go head to head. For Kanimozhi, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP and the daughter of former chief minister M Karunanidhi this is her first foray into direct election.

Meanwhile, it’s Soundararajan’s fourth attempt: she’s unsuccessfully contested in two state Assembly elections and one parliament election in the past. Soundararajan’s constant companions on

her election rallies are groups of protestors who make it a point to shout slogans against her. “This election will be our avenue to show our anger against the All India Anna Dravida

Munnetra Kazhagam and BJP,” says fisherman Maria Raja Bose Raegan. He was barely 50 m from the police shootout. Jesubalan agrees; he says he doesn’t know how the AIADMK and BJP have the

“audacity” to campaign in Thoothukudi after last year’s event. Perhaps it’s this fear that pushed the BJP to form its own grand alliance in the state, joining hands with the AIADMK and a

host of others. Yet across the country, Narendra Modi will have you believe that the BJP is the better party, as it isn’t part of a large coalition of Mahagathbandhan. In Delhi on March 31,

Modi took a dig at regional coalitions, saying, “When I was made a prime ministerial candidate, there was a queue for the PM’s post in 2014. Many wanted to become prime minister. The queue

has got a bit longer in 2019.” But this may not be how the wind blows for the party in Tamil Nadu. And the anger against it, both at the Centre and state, is palpable. _FLAGS OF DIFFERENT

PARTIES ALLYING WITH THE BJP AND AIADMK._ In Thoothukudi, however, things are different. A sea of flags of different colours and hues welcomed supporters to the roadshows, signaling the

deluge of parties that the AIADMK and BJP were allying with. From 2011’s Opposition leader Vijayakanth’s Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam to caste-driven parties like Pattali Makkal Katchi

to little known parties like actor Karthik’s Ahila India Naadalum Makkal Katchi—the BJP has tapped into parties of every size in Thoothukudi. Meanwhile, the DMK is leading the

“Madhacharbatra Murpokku Kootani” or Secular Progressive Alliance, contesting with a wide range of parties including the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal

Katchi, Communist Party of India, and Communist Party of India (Marxist). Just a few kilometres from Jesubalan’s house, the stage for the AIADMK-BJP alliance is set. It’s early April and a

large pandal has been erected, with villagers from across Thoothukudi district arriving in vans to attend the campaign rally. The BJP has pulled out its big guns. Alliance members take the

stage in turn, many of them focusing on corruption by the DMK. Tamil Nadu chief minister Edapaddi K Palaniswami reads out a long list of bridges and roads the state government has built

along with the costs. _AMIT SHAH PREPARING FOR A PHOTO OP AT HIS THOOTHUKUDI RALLY._ The crowd is largely silent—till they hear the whirr of a helicopter. The helicopter descends adjacent to

the podium, kicking up clouds of dust and blocking everyone’s view. From the dust emerges BJP party president Amit Shah who quickly gets into a massive SUV which will navigate the 50-metre

path to the podium. The SUV is flanked by gun-toting security personnel in Army gear. It’s all new for the villagers of Thoothukudi as they wake from the slumber that summer brings in. But

their interest is short-lived as Amit Shah begins his speech in Hindi, aided by a questionable translator. He talks about the Pulwama attack and the local deity, Lord Muruga, and mentions a

host of Tamil names: MG Ramachandran, J Jayalalithaa, “son of the soil” Abhinandan Varthaman, defense minister Nirmala Sitharaman. He says: “I would like to start my speech by remembering,

two Tamil Nadu jawans who lost their lives in the Pulwama attacks: Subramaniamji, who was from Thoothukudi, and C Sivachandran. I would also like to remember Wing Commander Abhinandan who

shot down Pakistan’s F-16.” _LEADERS OF PARTIES BELONGING TO THE AIADMK-BJP ALLIANCE PUTTING UP A UNITED FRONT._ Neither Shah nor Palanisami—or any members of the alliance, for that

matter—mentioned the word “Sterlite”. But on the same day, DMK’s Kanimozhi made it in the fulcrum of her first roadshow in Thoothukudi, standing in an open jeep just outside New Bus Stand.

She told onlookers the Centre has forgotten Tamil Nadu. “When 13 people died, no one came here. No one asked questions. For all the injustice that happened here, no one expressed their

grief. But now they come and tell us that they will bring bullet trains, will bring development plans. Till now, they didn’t know that a town called Thoothukudi exists. We need to vote

against such an opportunistic party.” _KANIMOZHI’S FIRST ROADSHOW IN THOOTHUKUDI._ This clearly annoyed the AIADMK because on April 8, they sent the Election Commission a complaint, saying

the DMK was running ads on party-owned _Sun TV _and _Kalaignar TV_ that showed video clippings recorded during the riots. The complaint read: “…they were shown the firing clips, dead bodies

of the victims, and the rally of the mob gatherings, it is purely violation of model code of conduct and as against the court of law and also illegal methods of luring and enticing the

Voters and General public against the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and AIADMK party (sic).” Irony went out on the window as the letter continued: “I would like to bring your kind attention

the Election Commission of India had already clearly issued a wide circulation to all political parties to all over the Country that the political parties should not use the Pulvama

Terrorist attacks Photos, Mr. Abhinandhan photo for their election campaign. (sic).” One can only wonder if Amit Shah got the memo. But away from the political spectacle, Jesubalan has now

reduced the number of days he goes fishing in order to take care of children. “I was never a political person. But with this incident, I am forced to be one. Anyone can come to power—except

BJP.”