COIMBATORE: It’s misty all around, but the pleasant climate is no bar, as the political heat has reached its peak in the Nilgiris constituency, with two heavyweights — DMK’s A Raja and Minister of State L Murugan in the BJP government at the centre — locking horns in the upcoming Lok Sabha election. Adding more vigour to the fight is AIADMK’s D Lokesh Tamilselvan, son of former Assembly speaker P Dhanapal.
In fact, Murugan was the early bird, starting his election works way ahead of others by setting up camp offices at multiple locations and frequenting the constituency for the past one-and-a-half years. But, poll pundits were surprised when he was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh in February, months ahead of polls, leaving speculation that he may not be in the parliamentary fray.
Nilgiris had favoured Congress in the past elections, with the grand old party winning seven times since 1957. Apart from Congress, DMK won thrice (1971, 2009, 2019) BJP twice (1998 and 1999), Tamil Maanila Congress and Swatantra party one each. In 2009, Nilgiris constituency was reclassified as reserved for SC.
Out of the six assembly segments falling under Nilgiris Lok Sabha constituency, in the 2021 assembly election AIADMK won from four segments — Avinashi, Mettupalayam, Bhavani and Gudalur, and DMK in two — Ooty and Coonoor. In Gudalur, AIADMK won by a margin of 1,945 votes, indicating DMK holds a significant influence in the hill areas and AIADMK has a strong presence in the plains.
In the campaigns, Murugan has been targeting Raja on the 2G case and his speeches on Sanatana Dharma, apart from focusing on highlighting central government’s schemes and explaining the agenda of spiritual politics. On the other hand, Raja opposes BJP’s Hindutva agenda and alleges the saffron party has been misusing the central probe agencies to threaten the opposition parties.
Meanwhile, AIADMK candidate Lokesh Tamilselvan is attacking DMK on issues like price hike of essential goods, increasing seizure of drugs in the state, and not fulfilling the promise of cancelling NEET.
The economy of Nilgiris relies on tourism, tea production, and farming of hill vegetables. Tribal groups of Toda, Irular, Paniyar, etc are living near the forest areas and Badaga communities in nearly around 400 villages called Hattis. Agriculture, power loom, and other industries are situated within the plain station of assembly constituencies.
The green leaf-tea issue has become a major talking pont in the constituency, with Malaimavatta Siru Vivasayikalnala Sangam, an association, announcing to boycott the upcoming Lok Sabha election as their demands are not addressed by the central government. They want the central government to increase the minimum auction price for tea powder up to Rs 200 per kg as they are currently getting just a minimum of Rs 50 and a maximum of Rs 80.
One of the office-bearers of the association, I Bojan told TNIE, “With inadequate prices for tea powder, the livelihood of the people remains the same over the last three decades. A G.O. should be issued based on the commerce department’s order of 1977. Private tea factories should not sell tea powder to retail industries. State and central government failed to rectify this issue.”
Tamil Nadu Tribal People’s Association, organiser, K Mahendaran at told TNIE over 100 tribal residents of Paniya, Kattunayakan who were living at tribal settlements of Mandakkarai, Nellikarai and Bennai are affected without land as forest department resettled them at Gudalur areas.
“The families were given a choice of lump-sum settlement of `10 lakh or land equivalent to the amount they fortified to the government. Since their relocation, the forest department did not give compensation and land which do not have pattas,” he alleged, adding daily-wage labourers are living in many villages without houses, electricity connection, toilets, etc. “As the officers do not monitor them, many children drop out of schools. Elected representatives have abandoned them,” he added.
A former employee of Hindustan Photo Films Manufacturing Co-Ltd at Ooty, C Kishore Kumar said the central government failed to modernise the factory after 1991. “The firm which was functioning for more than 15 years closed during the BJP regime in 2016. The central government did not take steps to convert it digitally.”
“Gradually, around 4,000 scientists and employees lost jobs, and many are doing menial jobs and driving auto-rickshaws in Ooty town to earn a living,” he said, urging the central government to re-start the firm.
On the Athikadavu Avinashi Project, B Sambath Kumar, a farmer from Avinashi said, “We are upset by the delay in executing it for the past several months. The entire work schedule was completed in December. For the past few months, the trial was carried out in several ponds. However, we are disappointed that the project has not been finished.”