2G accused A Raja is ‘the son of the soil’ in most backward areas of Tamil Nadu

ARIYALUR: Former cabinet minister and 2G accused A Raja is far from a convict in the most backward areas of Tamil Nadu, Perambular-Ariyalur- Niligiri belt where he is addressing back to back meetings, asking people to vote for "Kalaignar Karunanidhi who made Tamil Nadu what it is today."

The 52 year old former minister gets a rousing reception with fire crackers and flower showers in these events, with hordes of people wanting to welcome him with a ponnadai (shawl). Life size posters of Raja with less prominent ones of Karunanidhi and Stalin greet people who crowd up for his meetings, many just to listen to "the son of the soil" speak.

Raja refers to the 2g cases in his speeches as "the phenomenon that made him world famous" because of which important people at the airports recognise him and come up to tell him "how effective and thoughtful the DMK manifesto is."

He talks about his closeness to Karunanidhi, recounting incidents where he was privy to his meetings on manifesto and medical checkups too." I was there when the doctor came for his check up last month. Even the doctor said his mind is still young," he tells his audience.
And for those he suspects might get swayed by Jaya's freebies, he says, "remember we were the ones who promised and delivered the free colour TVs in 2006."

Raja knows all the local leaders on the stage and also their families. For every candidate he endorses, he tells people, "whatever success I have had from being a minister twice to being kalaignar's trusted soldier, is because of you. I am telling you to vote for this man and I will be answerable for what he does and doesn't do here. I can go to gopalapuram and tell my leader about your problems. I challenge any AIADMK candidate to promise us he can do the same with their leader Jayalalithaa who doesn't meet anyone."

To a crowd largely of farmers in Perambulur, Raja says, "when you asked MGR to reduce a paisa on electricity he dismissed you. Kalaignar has decided not even to charge one paisa for it. That is how great he is."

People here talk of him as their "son who became a minister at the age of 33" and Raja too acknowledges it. " A sparrow may fly high but it does comes back to its nest. I am that sparrow," he tells them.

"Raja Aney did work for us. We used to suffer from skin diseases because of the bad water here. He got us cauvery water and set pipelines," said S. Shanmukham, a farmer who had come to attend Raja's public meeting in Veena Kaikatti. Raja's fixation with water comes out in his speeches."Our water bodies are the reason villages are surviving today. They are fast drying up. Kalaignar wants to restore them. He is thinking of the future of our children who will live here long after we are gone. "

DMK sources say Raja "who as a student used to walk 10kms to attend party meetings" still enjoys the trust of Karunanidhi mainly because he is seen as the only leader who can deliver the interiors of trichy belt to the party.

A dalit from a farmers family of 10 children in Perambular Raja rose in the DMK mainly because of his oratory skills. His party polled the maximum votes in this belt even in 2011 amidst massive defeat because of his hold over the region. " It was a sympathy wave for him because people here thought he was being targeted," a senior DMK leader said.

Raja and his associates were arrested in 2011 and had to spend 15 months in jail in the 2G spectrum financial scandal that involved the alleged corrupt sale in 2008 of telecom bandwidth to selected organisations at understated prices.The case in still in the supreme court and the final judgment is awaited.

In the 2011 assembly election when the DMK faced a drubbing, the party being cautious, kept its tainted leaders such as Raja away from public glare. But that doesn't seem to be the case this season. Kanimozhi, another 2G case accused, has also been campaigning in full vigour and Karunanidhi himself addressed meetings with Dayanidhi Maran this time.

In his meetings Raja is staunchly critical of Jayalalithaa, of her promises on prohibition and inaccessibility but doesn't talk about corruption. "As a minister I have dealt with difficult answers but what is the step by step prohibition that she is calling for. Does it mean you can divide a quarter into two,drink one in the morning and the other at night," he jokes. When the audience roars with laughter he tells the men." I see you are happy now. Not any longer. We are closing all shops. Our mothers need some relief."

So how much of impact 2g will this election season have? Not much - is the feeling in villages here, where people are desperate for basic facilities and say corruption in a non issue in the state with both parties involved in such cases.

"2g is an old case. They have already lost two elections because of that. He has already spent several months in jail," said Nanthakumar, s farmer from village senganur, referring to Raja.