No political discourse in this agrarian district is complete without a mention of its most famous son Andimuthu Raja. The former Union Telecom minister was the one who brought big, wide expressways, industries and special economic zones to this otherwise backward district. Then he was the one who also brought this rustic dot on Tamil Nadu’s map worldwide infamy by figuring as an accused in the largest fraud the country had ever seen, the 2G spectrum scam.
Though Raja seldom visits his hometown Velur these days, the residents can scarcely speak without raising allegations of misdeed behind every developmental project he initiated here.
An agrarian district that was formed after the trifurcation of Tiruchy two decades ago, Perambalur rose to prominence after Raja became a Union minister. With the help of his cabinet colleague from DMK T R Baalu, the then Surface Transport minister, he managed to bring in wide highways. He and the party claimed credit for bringing in the MRF tyre factory and a vast SEZ, all of which were expected to bring development. But it all changed after the 2G scam.
If the announcement about the SEZ was received with celebration, it changed to resentment after a large numbers of small farmers, who once owned the 3,200 acres of land that was bought for the project, alleged that they were given only half of the promised amount. It has been a decade since their wait began, an issue that would have bearing on the poll result, said local rivals.
“When the tyre factory came up at Naranamangalam, he assured us that we will get employment. But in reality, only a handful of local youth were given lower-level jobs. The rest came in droves from elsewhere,” alleges S Murugesan, a septuagenarian from Raja’s native village Velur, and a friend of his father Andimuthu.
Even within the DMK ranks there is a feeling that discontent could affect the party. S Annadurai, who claims to be a party loyalist from Aalathur Gate, says it will be a tough fight because many locally influential leaders have been sidelined.
Primarily an agrarian district, the major crops grown in Perambalur are onion, maize, paddy, groundnut, sugarcane, and millets. Currently, it is the top producer of small onions in Tamil Nadu, accounting for over 50 per cent of the State’s total output. It also produces over a quarter of the total maize cultivated in the State.
However, the farmers are not a very happy lot here. Their main grouse is lack of market. P Varatharajan of Naranamangalam says, “Though small onions are the primary crop in this district, we are unable to get good price for our produce. To address this, the Union government should lift the ban on onion export.”
Putting things into perspective is Raja Chidambaram, president of Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangam, who says, “Farmers never demanded waiver of loans. We have only stressed on the need for a complete revamp of policy with regard to loans to the farmers. The government should offer a permanent solution to the ordeal faced by the farmers, which often leads to suicides.”
Sex Ratio Better Than Nat’l Avg
Lest a lay reader should mistake, it is not all scam and scandal at Perambalur. Thanks to some focused work by the former collector, Darez Ahmed, the district began giving some stellar performances on various indices. For instance, the sex ratio here is now favourable with 1,003 women for every 1,000 men, much above the national average of 929. Perambalur Assembly constituency is reserved for scheduled caste. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes form 31.01 per cent and 46 per cent of the population respectively.