E-Paper
Scandal is Nadar's calling card
Denied a ticket by Left Democratic Front, Neelalohithadasan Nadar is back in the fray as an Independent.
On Kovalam's balmy Eve's beach, a play unfolds.
The scene: Draupadi being harassed by Dushassan... Linger a bit more, and you'll find figures of Kerala's political theatre popping up, especially one man — Neelalohithadasan Nadar, who has single-handedly made sleaze an election issue here.
There is good reason for Nadar to figure in a play on women abuse.
The former minister was convicted twice for sexual harassment. Denied a ticket by the Left Democratic Front (LDF), he is back in the fray as an Independent.
But the writing is on the wall. Cheeky graffiti and caustic posters on his infamous exploits are all over Kovalam. Nadar is unfazed.
"My only fault is that I took the forest mafia head on and they implicated me," he said. His lone trump card is caste -- Nadars comprise about 30 per cent of the electorate in Kovalam.
