Bijli, sadak, paani? Developmental politics, eat your heart out. The DMK, in its manifesto for the May 8 assembly elections, has promised a brighter and sunnier future for all Tamilians if it’s voted to power in the state this year — a colour television for all households. One wonders how the poor Dravidians survived this harsh world before the days of that very ‘educational’ channel, Sun TV.
The DMK’s target vote bank appears to be the ‘desperate’ housewives of Tamil Nadu. The bumper prize of the colour TV is for the sake of — to quote the manifesto — their “recreation and general knowledge”. There’s also an offer of a free gas stove for the ‘poor’ women, rice at Rs 2 a kg “to make the women feel happy at heart” and maternity allowance of Rs 1,000 for six months. And, of course, nothing could soften all those maternal hearts more than the DMK offering their children one extra egg a week in their schools’ mid-day meals. But could someone please update the DMK on the revolution that it seems to have missed out while it spent its energies fighting the non-Tamilwallahs — that a lot of women, especially in Tamil Nadu, have actually been educated at school and do step out of home to earn a living.
There might be nothing called a free vote, but the DMK is promising to make practically everything else in life free. Going against EC rules? Not at all, as these goodies will be doled out if and only if the DMK comes to power after the polls. We honestly feel the Election Commission’s been had this time round.
{{/usCountry}}There might be nothing called a free vote, but the DMK is promising to make practically everything else in life free. Going against EC rules? Not at all, as these goodies will be doled out if and only if the DMK comes to power after the polls. We honestly feel the Election Commission’s been had this time round.
{{/usCountry}}