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This way or that, it's a Nadar in South
G BABU JAYAKUMAR

At Kallidaikurichi, where Tiruchendur Lok Sabha constituency begins and Tenkasi limit ends, DMK leader M K Stalin, on a whirlwind campaign tour of southern Tamilnadu, waits. He has to be received and led into Tiruchendur constituency by the DMK candidate Radhika Selvi, who arrives in a vehicle that stops about half a kilometre before the boundary. And the young woman carrying her infant son walks on the road, lined with people on both the sides, towards the border point, making herself a cynosure of all eyes.

The music over the public address system stops and silence envelops the crowd that watches the 'poignant' scene - a widowed young mother trudging with her new born in hand under the blazing sun. A sight that evokes sympathy but orchestrated to whip up caste sentiments by invoking memories of her slain husband, a local do-gooder, with a sole aim of converting the surging collective feelings into ballots on 10 May when the State goes to polls in the last phase of election.

Radhika Selvi is just a metaphor of the caste politics that is being methodically played out in the constituency, dominated by the Nadar community, in a bid to translate wails into votes and her nomination itself, overlooking party veterans belonging to the community, is seen more as a political statement.

'If you want the Nadars to establish themselves as a force to reckon with, vote for the widow of Vekatesan Pannaiyar' is the message sent out to the community as the babe-in-arms Radhika Selvi goes campaigning in Tiruchendur. The community, however, holds sway over a few more adjoining constituencies like Nagercoil and Tirunelveli too.

The influential Nadars are one of the three major caste groupings that have repeatedly proved to have a political voice in the State. But if the other two, the Vanniyars and Mukulathors, are now identified more with specific political parties, say the PMK and AIADMK, the Nadars have been all over, sending their representatives to Parliament and State Assembly under several party banners.

This time around, too, Nadar candidates are contesting as nominees of a wide spectrum of political parties in the southern constituencies. In fact, in the three constituencies of Tiruchendur, Nagercoil and Tirunvelveli whoever wins, it will be only a Nadar. It is not just that the community alone that has been showing a proclivity to favour candidates belonging to their caste but political parties, too, live up to the voters' wish, at least on that count.

But the manner in which a Nadar assertion is sought to be made in Tiruchendur constituency by channeling the tears shed for Venkatesan Panniyar into a stream of votes for the DMK is rather paradoxical. For Panniyar during his time was an AIADMK sympathiser. That he was killed in an alleged encounter with the police in Chennai during the AIADMK regime is being exploited by the DMK, which is counting on the 'wail ballots', though it is not clear how long the ululations can be prompted continuously.

By morphing the real-life image of Radhika Selvi and her son Rakshan into a vignette for a wrong committed to a community by the government, the DMK juggernaut hopes to steamroll its way through the Nadar turf, despite a couple of stark realities: AIADMK candidate T Damodaran is also a Nadar and that but for the Radhapuram Assembly seat, the rest of the five segments have returned AIADMK candidates for the present House.

Talking of Radhapuram, its independent MLA Appavu, is now the Janata Dal (United) candidate for the neighbouring Tirunelveli Lok Sabha seat, taking on the Congress nominee R Danushkodi Adithan and AIADMK's R Amirtha Ganesan. Appavu, a Christian Nadar, is also banking on the Nadar power in Tirunelveli constituency, besides hoping that he might be able to garner the Dalit votes that form about 18 per cent and the Yadava votes since he is a nominee of the People's Alliance, the weak third front in the State.

Though Amirtha Ganesan and Danushkodi Adithan are also Nadars, Appavu, whose avowed aim is to prevent his former associate and present bete noire Adithan from entering the portals of Parliament, hopes that he can garner the community votes in view of his links with some caste associations like the Dakishinamara Nadar Sangam that wields considerable influence in the area.

With the AIADMK, too, preparing a dossier against Adithan alleging that he was involved in a few scams like illegal sand mining among other things, and Appavu canvassing vehemently against the former Union Minister, who, too, has shifted from his erstwhile constituency of Tiruchendur, the going seems tough for the DPA nominee. Adithan also has the distinct disadvantage of starting campaign late in view of the Congress procrastinating on announcing his name as its candidate for Tirunelveli.

So in the tough three-cornered contest between three Nadars, Adithan might lose, what with the workers of other DPA parties not plunging themselves into the electoral arena reportedly due to the tight-fisted attitude of the Congress candidate. But then, the Nadars have nothing to lose. Anyway, it will be one among them who will represent Tirunelveli, where Nadars do not have a presence of more than 20 per cent, in Lok Sabha.

Similarly, in Nagercoil the fight might be seen as one between two extreme ideologies - the right wing BJP and the left wing CPI(M). Some may even call it a clash between a Hindu Pon Radhakrishnan and a Christian A V Bellarmine. But it is also between two Nadars.

Though the selection of Radhakrishnan, who is the sitting MP and a Union Minister of State, is a natural one, the CPI(M), after the seat was allotted to it by the DPA, is said to have taken several factors into consideration before picking Bellarmine as its nominee. However hard the left party might try to pooh pooh the charge that it too plays caste politics, the fact remains that Bellarmine, a devoted district level comrade, had his opportunity to be a candidate for the Lok Sabha election just because he was born a Nadar and a Christian to boot.

The DPA being a formidable alliance and the local Protestant and Catholic churches backing him openly, the prospects of Bellarmine winning have brightened but it is doubtful if the chances of his victory could have been so good if the party had gone in for a non-Nadar. Despite being a Hindu, Radhakrishnan would have cornered even a considerable number of Christian Nadar votes if his rival had happened to be from another locally less-influential caste.

However, the only constituency where the Nadar community, despite having a visible presence, has not managed to return one of its ilk is Sivakasi, where Naickers have the advantage of numbers. But the AIADMK, this time around, has fielded a Nadar, P Kannan, to take on MDMK's Sipiparai Ravichandran. Despite the constituency traditionally favouring Naickers, MDMK supremo Vaiko being one of them, this time a Nadar candidate has been fielded by the AIADMK. If he wins, again it will be one up for the Nadars.

Selvi fights her lone battle
SWATI DAS

VALLIYOOR, Tiruchendur: She had just come back to her uncle's place after a long mooring of scrutiny of her nomination. It was time to feed her one-month old baby and catch up with an hour's nap before beginning another campaign schedule into the night.

Meet V Radhika Selvi, 28 year-old widow of Venkatesa Pannayar (gunned down by the police in Chennai about six months back), the DMK candidate for Tiruchendur Parliamentary constituency.

Soft-spoken, vulnerable and faced with a host of enemies from within the DMK itself, Radhika is working hard to win the affection and sympathy of the constituency she is contesting from.

She has one goal: "I want to teach the (AIADMK) government a lesson. There was not a single FIR against my husband. So why was my husband killed by the police?"

As her voice choked, she expressed her thanks: "I am very grateful to Kalaignar (DMK chief M. Karunanidhi) and Dalapathi (M.K. Stalin) for giving me this opportunity."

Panneyar came into limelight during the Sathankulam bye-election in February 2003, when he assisted the AIADMK minister Anita Radhakrishnan to campaign in the Assembly segment.

Later, a controversial death: "gangster killed in an encounter with police," had clearly angered the Nadar community.

Radhika had never thought she would have to plunge into public life. A graduate in English Literature from the Bharathi Arts College in Chennai, Radhika had married Panneyar only in September 2001 — six years after their marriage was fixed.

Coccooned in a protected life, Radhika was suddenly exposed to the cruel world.

On March 9, in Chennai, Radhika was introduced as Tiruchendur candidate at a public meeting. Next morning she delivered her son Rakshan. A week later she was back in Tuticorin and another 10 days she hit the campaign road.

If she travels over 240 km, baby Rakshan accompanies, taken care of by Radhika's mother. "People are so affectionate. Especially women. They keep asking for the kutti (tiny) Pannayar," said Radhika with a smile.

When she was given the seat to contest by Karunanidhi simply to garner the angry Nadar votes, it kindled furious reactions in the party, including Aladi Aruna joining the BJP.

But the DMK in Tiruchendur is known for factional strifes that ensured the defeat of Tamil film actor

R. Sarath Kumar in 1998 election. Radhika too is not being helped by the partymen to defeat AIADMK's T. Damodaran, except for a handful of functionaries at the grass-root level.

Instead, Radhika is assisted by her family, friends and relatives. She claims that she also has the support of Sarath Kumar and Rajnikanth fans, though the latter is supposed to be assisting in the defeat of the PMK, a DMK ally.

"If the partymen work for her (Radhika) the last 10 days, it would be a easy win for her. But there is no one helping her out. Kalaignar does not know what is happening here. The AIADMK ministers are buying the DMK men here. They are spending money, distributing cricket kits to children through village tournaments and utensils through self help groups. No one here knew who Panneyar was until Sathankulam bye-election and his death. So what is this clout Panneyar is said to be having in Tuticorin?" asks Valliyoor town panchayat DMK councillor Anbarasu.

Load factor: In Sivakasi polls are all about caste

SIVAKASI: “It’s not the economy. It’s all about caste politics” — this seems to be the electoral theme in Sivakasi. In fact, caste dynamics have always played a more important role in Sivakasi than economic or development issues. Political parties in the fray understand this, and are playing the cards accordingly.

The dominant communities here — Naickars, Nadars, Thevars and Harijans — have traditional party affiliations. However, recent events — ranging from Tamil Nadu government’s decision to takeover liquor retailing, to selection of candidates — have brought about changes that may tilt the result in anyone’s favour.

All talks of elections in this constituency, which covers Kovilpatti, Rajapalayam, Sattur, Sivakasi, Srivilliputhur and Virudhunagar districts, boils down to the caste factor. Candidates, voters and issues are defined in terms of the castes they represent. Political parties want to ride on this mood. MDMK boss Vaiko, who won the last two elections in 1998 and 1999, belongs to the predominant Naickar community. He is not contesting this time, but has set A Ravichandran against AIADMK’s P Kannan, who is a Nadar — the second most dominant group.

But on the other hand, R Thamaraikani, another Nadar, with a strong following in Srivilliputhur, is campaigning for MDMK. Thus, Nadar votes might be split between the two.

Similarly, Thevars, traditional supporters of AIADMK, might caste a percentage of their votes to MDMK, because a section of this community is not happy with the Tamil Nadu government’s taking over liquor retailing. Thevars, it is said, have interest in liquor retailing.

Harijans, who had a traditional inclination towards DMK, are disgruntled with the party because it failed to name a representative from this community. “They have shifted loyalties,” an autodriver in Sivakasi said, adding, “Just go past the Dalit area, and you will find the ‘two leaves’ symbol in all the houses. Not that every one will vote for AIDMK, but many will.”

But why is caste given so much importance in this area? Because, it is entwined with the economic and social aspects. People here get everything — apprenticeship in the trade (mostly printing, matches and fireworks), financial assistance, first customers, social acceptance — from members of their own community.

The bond is so strong that it transcends even religion. In fact, here members of the same family might belong to different religions, but will still adhere to same caste, a Sivakasi resident said. As a result, it is not just a question of community pride. It is also based on practical issues, another resident explained. “For example, Nadars might find it advantageous to have allies in both the state and the Centre, and so would support our combine,” an AIADMK party worker said adding that the Tamilnad Mercantile Bank affair was a case in point.

Besides, there are issues that people across the state ask for such as water supply, cheaper goods and better infrastructure, which are important to Sivakasi too.

Election of TMB directors challenged

The legal tussle among the various groups of the Nadar community to take control of the Tuticorin-based Tamilnad Mercantile Bank Ltd has assumed yet another new turn with a group challenging the election of 10 directors at the annual general meeting held on March 12.

In an application moved before the Company Law Board, Additional Principal Bench, Chennai, the group led by S. Ashok and 33 others, has strongly contested the election on various grounds, including exclusion of proxies executed by the powers of attorney in the voting for election of directors, procedure adopted in violation of Section 263 of the Companies Act in regard to casting of votes and non-submission of notices under Section 257 by the proposers of candidates for election as directors.

The applicants contended that on the various grounds, the election of respondents (the 10 directors who are considered as associates of B. Ramachandra Adityan) 4 to 13 were invalid and was therefore to be set aside by the Company Law Board.

According to the applicants, as a consequence of the order dated August 14, 2003 of the Company Law Board, the question of transfer of 95,418 shares was yet undecided. Since the Reserve Bank of India had not issued the requisite acknowledgements in respect of the transfer of these shares, the issue was never raised subsequently before the Board.

Also, the applicants contended, several shareholders had lodged with the Bank notice in writing of their intention to inspect the proxy forms. However, no such inspection of proxies was permitted. The bank failed to comply with the requirement of Section 176(7) to permit inspection of the proxies.

The first applicant and some other shareholders placed before the chairman at the meeting detailed representations why the powers of attorney could not be utilised to exercise any voting rights. But the chairman did not give a ruling on such objections or to even make a mention in the report of the meeting. This would establish how the votes of several shareholders had been totally excluded and the voting by power of attorney proxy holders was permitted erroneously.

It was further alleged by the applicants that by virtue of the election of directors using the powers of attorney, the control in the bank had ceased to be for the benefit of the Nadar community in general but had vested in one family. Some of the directors elected at the meeting were stated to have borrowed large amounts from the bank.

Pending disposal of the application, the board should restrain these respondents from functioning as directors and/or from taking any policy decisions in relation to the bank including the appointment/transfer of employees, granting of loans or donations, they prayed.

Court stays transfer of Tamilnad Bank shares

The legal wrangle over the Tuticorin-based Tamilnad Mercantile Bank (TMB) took a fresh turn today, with the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court staying the transfer of 95,418 shares, representing a 33 per cent stake in the bank, by NRI investor C Sivasankaran to others.

This is another setback for Sivasankaran. In February, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had refused to recognise the transfer of shares by Sivasankaran to seven individual Nadar investors for about Rs 130 crore.

The deal, signed in the presence of the then Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani, was mediated by Chennai-based chartered accountant S Gurumurthy.

In a directive to Tamilnad Mercantile Bank, Justice NV Balasubramanian and Justice S Sardar Zackria Hussain asked it not to consider any application for transfer of shares, till the appeal filed by about 30 shareholders, who hold about 12 per cent in the bank, is not dealt with.

These shareholders fear that Sivasankaran may transfer his stake in the bank to 33 individual investors, who will hold 1 per cent each, in a possible benami transaction, bypassing RBI norms.

In its August 13 order, the RBI had said: “We advise that the terms of the sale agreements neither effect nor indicate the intention to effect, transfer of ownership in the shares in favour of the purchasers. Moreover, the terms of the sale deed show that whatever rights are transferred to the purchasers, only under the direction of the sellers.”

“Thus, the rights and beneficial interest connected with the ownership remain with the sellers, transfer in whose favour was not acknowledged by us and in substance there was no sale of the shares,” the RBI order had added.

The court’s decision to stay the transfer of shares comes soon after two premier Nadar associations, the Nadar Mahajana Sabha and the Dakshina Mara Nadar Sangam, sent a representation on August 16 to the Union finance minister and the RBI Governor.

Their request was that the voting rights on the shares should be frozen and an investigation launched on how no consideration was paid for their sale and purchase.

According to the deal reached in February, Sivasankaran would have offloaded 95,418 shares in the Nadar community bank in favour of seven individual Nadar investors and the deal would need to be sewn up before December 31, 2004.

The RBI had earlier rejected Sivasankaran’s application to transfer the 95,418 shares to four shell companies controlled by him. If the RBI had allowed Sivasankaran to transfer the shares, he would have gained control of the bank and its management.

Sivasankaran had, in his application to the RBI, requested permission to transfer his 33 per cent holding into four companies — Mansiri Investment & Leasing Private Limited (28,114 shares), Mrinalini Leasing & Finance Private Limited (30,397 shares), Essar Investments Pvt Limited (27,324 shares), and Hemangini Finance & Leasing Private Limited (9,583 shares).

The RBI had in early February summoned TMB Chairman R Natarajan and told him that it was rejecting Sivasankaran’s application for transferring his 33 per cent stake in the bank to these four companies.