Chidambaram makes his voters proud, but disappointed
They want him to continue as finance minister. But they are miffed that he has brought little to the constituency.
By TNN |
SIVAGANGA: February 29 saw frenetic activity in Okkur, a hot and dusty village located in Tamil Nadu���s Sivaganga district. People were milling around a TV set in a barber���s saloon, the banks saw longer queues and groups of farmers met up at the local school to hold discussions. It must be the budget, we thought, watching the buzz in the otherwise sleepy hamlet. Besides, Sivaganga being the FM���s constituency, it would naturally elicit more interest in budgetary issues, we thought.
However, a closer look revealed that the TV was playing a blockbuster Tamil movie, people were crowding around banks to collect pensions and the farmers assembled at the school to discuss their woes rather than celebrate the debt waiver.
���Is the Budget being announced today?��� one asked, before reluctantly switching to the Budget broadcast. Nevertheless, some farmers like 55-year old S Ramanathan were ready with the details of the Budget.
���I heard that farm loans worth Rs 60,000 crore have been waived, but I���m not sure if it applies just to crop loans or to tractor and drip-irrigation loans as well,��� he informed other farmers. The reaction wasn���t euphoric ���I nstead, the farmers were upset that the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme(NREGS) was extended to all 596 districts in the country. ���We are losing our labourers to the scheme. Instead of working in fields, they work for NREGS, since it pays more,��� said a farmer.
After this, the discussion shifted to routine complaints on power failure, lack of irrigation and inadequate awareness about government schemes among the farmers. ���We are not interested in the Budget because we know he isn���t going to do something special for us. This place needs more industrial employment. Every time Paa Si comes here, he says Sivaganga will have a graphite mining plant, but there is nothing so far,��� says Sekhar, explaining the apathy.
Sekhar, who owns a snack and sweets shop in Okkur, is more worried about price rise. His income has come down from Rs 5,000 to Rs 3,000 because of costlier pulses and oil. ���Earlier, the cost of making a pakora was 60 paise, but now it���s 80 paise. Will the FM address these issues?��� he asks.
���There is nothing much here except the palatial Chettinad houses in Karaikudi that attract a lot of foreign tourists. Almost 70% of my friends are working in Dubai and Malaysia after their studies here,��� said 23-year old Abdul Feroze Khan, a telecom line operator.
Abdul, though, is more interested in the Budget than his counterparts in Okkur. ���We are really proud that our MP presents the Budget and happy that India is developing under Chidambaram, though Sivaganga is neglected.��� This mixture of pride and disappointment seems to be the dominant sentiment in the region. Voters are torn between intense pride because their MP is FM and a sense of frustration that the FM���s reforms don���t find a place in his own constituency.
Dr S Kaliyamoorthy, director of the Institute of Management in Alagappa University said: ���Since he���s the Union finance minister, the expectations were very high. He added that industrial activity hasn���t taken off, denting the voters��� hopes. A top businessman in Karaikudi, quoted the example of Sharad Pawar and his efforts to industrialise Baramati. ���Look at the investments that Mr Pawar brought to Baramati. Here there is nothing. But we don���t want the country to lose Chidambaram, so we���ll elect him next time as well because he deserves to be FM,��� he said.
However, going by the voter sentiments, India���s robust growth rate alone won���t ensure Chidambaram���s victory. It will also depend on the coalition that he���s part of at the Centre. Some others said they would re-elect Chidambaram because there is no alternative.
Some, like Sekhar, the snack shop owner prefer to wait and watch. ���There���s a long time to go for the elections. Let���s see if Paa Si finally starts looking at Delhi through the Sivaganga mirror, like he promised before the previous elections,��� he said.
However, a closer look revealed that the TV was playing a blockbuster Tamil movie, people were crowding around banks to collect pensions and the farmers assembled at the school to discuss their woes rather than celebrate the debt waiver.
���Is the Budget being announced today?��� one asked, before reluctantly switching to the Budget broadcast. Nevertheless, some farmers like 55-year old S Ramanathan were ready with the details of the Budget.
���I heard that farm loans worth Rs 60,000 crore have been waived, but I���m not sure if it applies just to crop loans or to tractor and drip-irrigation loans as well,��� he informed other farmers. The reaction wasn���t euphoric ���I nstead, the farmers were upset that the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme(NREGS) was extended to all 596 districts in the country. ���We are losing our labourers to the scheme. Instead of working in fields, they work for NREGS, since it pays more,��� said a farmer.
After this, the discussion shifted to routine complaints on power failure, lack of irrigation and inadequate awareness about government schemes among the farmers. ���We are not interested in the Budget because we know he isn���t going to do something special for us. This place needs more industrial employment. Every time Paa Si comes here, he says Sivaganga will have a graphite mining plant, but there is nothing so far,��� says Sekhar, explaining the apathy.
Sekhar, who owns a snack and sweets shop in Okkur, is more worried about price rise. His income has come down from Rs 5,000 to Rs 3,000 because of costlier pulses and oil. ���Earlier, the cost of making a pakora was 60 paise, but now it���s 80 paise. Will the FM address these issues?��� he asks.
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���There is nothing much here except the palatial Chettinad houses in Karaikudi that attract a lot of foreign tourists. Almost 70% of my friends are working in Dubai and Malaysia after their studies here,��� said 23-year old Abdul Feroze Khan, a telecom line operator.
Abdul, though, is more interested in the Budget than his counterparts in Okkur. ���We are really proud that our MP presents the Budget and happy that India is developing under Chidambaram, though Sivaganga is neglected.��� This mixture of pride and disappointment seems to be the dominant sentiment in the region. Voters are torn between intense pride because their MP is FM and a sense of frustration that the FM���s reforms don���t find a place in his own constituency.
Dr S Kaliyamoorthy, director of the Institute of Management in Alagappa University said: ���Since he���s the Union finance minister, the expectations were very high. He added that industrial activity hasn���t taken off, denting the voters��� hopes. A top businessman in Karaikudi, quoted the example of Sharad Pawar and his efforts to industrialise Baramati. ���Look at the investments that Mr Pawar brought to Baramati. Here there is nothing. But we don���t want the country to lose Chidambaram, so we���ll elect him next time as well because he deserves to be FM,��� he said.
However, going by the voter sentiments, India���s robust growth rate alone won���t ensure Chidambaram���s victory. It will also depend on the coalition that he���s part of at the Centre. Some others said they would re-elect Chidambaram because there is no alternative.
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Some, like Sekhar, the snack shop owner prefer to wait and watch. ���There���s a long time to go for the elections. Let���s see if Paa Si finally starts looking at Delhi through the Sivaganga mirror, like he promised before the previous elections,��� he said.
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