West Bengal
Change for what???
2006 is sure proving to be the most difficult and frustrating year for a certain LK Advani. With advancing age and a diminishing chance of getting the post of PM, he is getting caught offgaurd by speaking his mind.
Just a day after the first phase of elections were over here in West Bengal, he said the "CPIM is unhappy with 70% turnout." His pointer being --- the areas in the first phase previously witnessed around 75% polling. Not very refined --- but an acceptable poilitical statement considering his party's non-existence in the state.
But the very next day --- The EC itself 'pani fekh diya re'...-- it reported that well over 80% polling has taken place in the first phase and moreover it has not found any evidence of violence, rigging booth jam ---- just not anything!!!!! so surprising --- lady Mamata might now well be searching for another word --- because her so-called 'scientific rigging' is holding no turf here!!! So sad!!! One Left MP-..in a TV interview even suggested that---perhaps the Opposition will tell that the Central Forces colluded with the Left to help in rigging!!
Now with the so-called 'clean elections' as certified by the EC, leaves us a picture where we find that the vote share of the BJP-Trinamool combination has gone down --- may we think that rigging was practised by them only!!! Anyway...that would be too far fetched, because the respective opposition parties just dont have any proper plan or whatever so that voters can look as them as alternative!!! You go to any election meeting of them...the only thing you will hear -- is Change CPIM -- well people might change them...but FOR WHAT????
Anik Ghosal
Senior research executive
Kolkata
Kerala
Dirty politics
This time around no body is sure of the result in the Kerala elections. The LDF lead by Achutanandan is about to receive something they have not experienced in the past. Their attitude to development and the tendency to oppose anything they find will bring development to the state will spoil their chances in the elections.
Achutanandan alone is responsible for the pathetic state of the Smart City Project. Achutanandan will support only the development where his CITU will have access. CITU will not have access to any of the IT projects and will only bell the death of it. He is against thousands of malayalees staying in Bangloore, Hydrabad, and other parts of India and world. He is against seeing Kerala in the world IT map. He is ignorant of what IT can bring to Kerala what it has brought to Bangloore.
No body is asking Kerala to ignore agriculture, but IT should be allowed to develop where it has scope, where agriculture has no scope in a place like Kakkanad - barren land. The educated people, who wish development will not stay with LDF in this election.
The dirty politics Karunakaran and Muraleedharan has played is forgotten. While announcing the arrival of the DIC both Karunakaran and his son Muraleedharan had ridiculed the Umman Chandi led congress in Kerala. The words these two leads used to describe the Chief Minister are not worth mentioning. Now they are playing true politics, knowing well that they could not do anything alone in the elections.
The people who have taken them in should also not be forgiven. The dirty politics that is going to unfold after the elections in the congress party should be anybody's guess. Though Karunakaran has categorically denied the report that DIC will not merge with Congress after the elections, many of Karunakaran supporters who believed his words while forming the new party, strongly believe the vile leader will do anything for his son and power.
He will even ditch the ardent of supporters for his son, who is worthy to be in politics only if we change meaning of the term politics is not to serve the people. In his dictionary, as in the case of many now in politics, politics is a means to swell his bank account with people's money. People with common sense will not stay with the dirty politics that congress is playing.
Congress on its part is in favor of development - their development not the state's development. The so called Smart City Project and Express Highway will certainly bring them money, but one cannot overlook the overall development aspect of it.
The LDF on its part is ignorant of these. They are against their own development and the state's development. There is less corruption, but they are dead against development. I still remember one American doctor's words coming back to Kerala ?. No way !!!. I once came back to Kerala after 10 years stay in USA. It is not moving forward, it is going back. With your leader Achutanandan in power it could be even worse. Just guess where we are heading for ???
Ligith CD
Computers
Kochi
Tamil Nadu
DMK will sweep
DMK will have a clear lead over the ruling front in case of a hung verdict. DMK will sweep all the seats in chennai city.
Final tally is likely to be:
DMK+: 130
ADMK+: 104
Srinath
Reporter
Madurai
Election stunts
How people change their colour and tone was best displayed by Sarath Kumar and his wife Radhika recently when they joined AIADMK.
Everyone knows it was Amma who groomed up Sarath as a competitor to Rajini (It was an absolute mismatch and big mistake)in the late '90s. But he very cleverly left the ADMK stating that they showed his film in JJ TV without his permission (Why should an actor's permission required to show his film in TV. I think it is the producer discretion rather than actor's).
He joined DMK as soon as they won the election and was their mouthpiece all along. He in fact contested the lok sabha election in 1998 and lost from Tirunelveli. He did not contest again and was given the Rajya Sabha seat and was a sitting member.
Now he has joined AIADMK again citing he was ignored in DMK (Do not know what he did to gain attention!!).
By going and joining ADMK he has done a great mistake. All the politicians/actors think people forget things easily and always tend to play on that end. What they do not know is the same people can teach them a good lesson.
What all the actors think is that the fan following would end up in votes (Not all of them are MGR or NTR to do such miracles). What they fail to understand is it took nearly a decade for MGR and NTR to establish themselves and they did not become politicians overnight.
MGR stood in his first election after being in politics for more than 10-12 years and all along doing the basic ground work. This is applicable even to Vijaykanth. Even though he was doing all sort of philanthrophy he did not establish himself as a political personality and he was always an actor.
The Big mistake Vijayakanth committed in this election is by standing in all the seats (which he will end up in a loosing cause). What he should have done is go one step a time. He is most likely to loose the hard-earned money.
Sarath kumar during his intial days always called Vijayakanth as his mentor and the person who gave him new lease of life in cinema (Through Pulan Visaranai). Probably he could have aligned with Vijayakanth during this election. In that way alteast he would have saved some face.
I think Sarath is also heading for the same fate as Vijaya, T Rajender, Pandiyan and Ramarajan.
Jai Ganesh
Consultant
AIADMK will scrape through
Current trend shows that it is going to be tough fight between Ruling AIADMK nad the DMK. The ruling AIADMK has to confront several opposition, the six party opputunistic allaince, the print media (all run by DMK), the visual media (DMK owned several TV channel) and audio media.
Inspite of all this the ruling AIADMK will pull the chesnut out of fire by a very slender margin.
Sam K
Commodities consultant
Chennai
Promising show
The AIADMK, DMDK & MDMK - All have one purpose in common and that is to strongly criticise the DMK alliance. Some light needs to be thrown to the public who might read this.
a) The DMK announced it will provide quality rice at Rs 2 per kg. Immediately the AIADMK, MDMK and DMDK said it was not possible. I would like to ask them, why it is not possible? Because it is announced by Karunanidhi. The same Vijayakanth of DMDK says he would provide 15 kg of free rice. Isnt it funny? If giving rice at Rs 2 per kg is impossible, how is it possible to give 15 kg free of cost? It is proved that only Vijaykanth is fooling the people.
2) The DMK says it will provide colour TVs to families who don't have TVs. MDMK asks back if the DMK would also give cable connection. Vaiko, the professional backstabber, has forgotten one thing. Whether people buy TV with their own money or they receive free TV, Sun TV doesn't compel them to give cable connection nor the TV will relay only Sun TV. Also, the programmes on Sun TV are all serials, cinema, etc., unlike Jaya TV which shows the face of Jayalalitha at least 5 hours per day.
Having become an actor this election, Vaiko should concentrate on movies and pose a threat to Kamal Hassan by snatching away the Oscar award. People should remember one thing Vaiko and Jayalalithaa who scolded each another till last month, now say that they are 'Oru Kodiyil Pootha Iru Malargal' Shame...shame on you...Do you think people are idiots?
Jayalalithaa announced many schemes is what is the claim made by Vaiko and AIADMK supporters. Till four years of her regime, she tortured people and made people the scapegoats, and the moment she realised that election is not far away shes started announcing so many schemes out of which not even one single scheme was implemented.
Vote against the anti-democratic alliance of Jayalalithaa and throw her out of power so that Vaiko at least will find a place to act in serials produced by Jaya. A CM who is adamant, non-cooperative and headstrong should not come back to power.
Subramanian
Student
Vote for who's doing good
Summer is peaking up and the election campaign too.
I would like to comment on the strategies taken by the two main political paries.
The ruling party has started succumbing to the pressure created by the main opposition DMK.
AIADMK was successful in romping in MDMK into the alliance, but MDMK has become a burden than a boon.
Vaiko is trying to fool the people. It seems he has a wrong notion, that if he speaks loud and emotionally, people of TN will get fooled easily, there are some instances people started questioning his credibility even in public meeting. People are no longer going to listen to Vaiko rather they will laugh for the fun that he is making in every public meeting.
In the recent meeting, he was targeting Dayanidhi Maran, for whom Vaiko was campaigning in Chennai during the last Lok Sabha eletions.
I was of the opinion Vaiko has to give some good justification why people should vote for our Amma JJ.
Rather if he continues, to say that vote for good governance, to throw dynastic politics etc., will result only losing in his own credibility. Already he has lost his credibility to great extent. Atleast some fools might still believe in Vaiko, let him not lose his credibility to those fools atleast.
Let me ask a question, Vaiko said that he was willing to stay in UPA alliance but he was forced to go out of the alliance. In case MK has given 25 seats as requested by Vaiko, then MK could have given good governance, and Vaiko could have kept his mouth shut about the dynastic politics, he could have went to Thousand lights constituency seeking vote for Stalin.
I dont know where he got redeemed himself before the elections under which Bothi Maram (Tree).
Why Vaiko didnt know all these days, about the dynastic politics. Vaiko left DMK and founded MDMK for this purpose. But he joined DMK when he went to prison. He was not worried about people of TN, rather he was worried about himself and the number of seats that his party got.
I really wonder what made you to take such a foolish decision losing all your credibility. God only knows. Vaiko made great statements against JJ now he is seeking votes for her. People are not fools. People cannot continue to stay as fools. I think as said by JJ this might be the last election for AIADMK front againg DMK front. Because after this AIADMK and MDMK will not going to exist.
Vaiko dont hide your true face, first show your true face then you can tear and show the people about the true face of MK, Stalin or Dayanidhi Maran. You are a great opportunistic. I had great respect for you, but it went in air. Now I am laughing at you, whenever I am seeing your face in Jaya TV.
Where is your principles, please never talk about Anna, or Perriyar for this reason. They truly lived for their principles.
You claim that you are for Sethu project, whereas JJ is against Sethu project. Whether you left the principle or JJ left the principle.
You said that giving rice for Rs. 2 is not feasible,what are going to say now JJ has come up with a promise of rice for Rs. 1.75 per kg. Are you going to claim this as feasible or infeasible.??
You know TTV Dhinakaran, what he did for people of TN, whether he went to jail for any strike any thing else. He was given seat in Periakulam for Loksabha elections. His only qualification is, he is a relative to Sasikala. If JJ has a son or daughter, it is for sure, they might be plunged into politics.
So it is not matter whether Stalin or Dayanidhi Maran son/nephew to MK. What really matters is, who is doing good or capable of doing good for people. whether it is subban or kuppan, or JJ(Amma), MK, or Vijayakanth or Stalin, or Dayanidhi Maran or Duraimurugan or anyone, but they should do good for people.
True tamilan
Professional
Chennai