When the Congress high-command decided to field Nanguneri MLA H. Vasantha Kumar as its candidate for the Kanniyakumari parliamentary constituency, a section of Christians sulked, saying minorities were denied representation. Four Bishops from the district wrote to AICC general secretary Mukul Wasnik, urging the party to allot the seat to a Christian, as the constituency has a sizeable population of minorities.
However, at the ground level, the Congress’ decision to field Mr. Vasantha Kumar, a Hindu Nadar and a son of the soil, has clearly made the fight tough for sitting BJP MP and Union Minister Pon. Radhakrishnan. The BJP candidate, locals said, would find it difficult to win over sections of Christian and Muslim voters, while the Hindu Nadar votes would get split between him and Mr. Vasantha Kumar. Had the Congress fielded a candidate from a minority community, the likelihood of Mr. Radhakrishnan consolidating the Hindu Nadar votes could not have been ruled out.
“We did not oppose Mr. Vasantha Kumar. We only wanted representation for the minorities. Of course, we opposed the possible entry of some Congressmen with unhealthy track records,” said former IAS officer M.G Devasahayam, a native of the constituency.
Anti-port stand
He said though Mr. Vasantha Kumar had supported the construction of a new port in the constituency, he changed his mind after realising its adverse impact on the livelihood of the people in the coastal areas. Mr. Vasantha Kumar has made his anti-port stand a highlight of his campaign.
Mr. Radhakrishnan, however, is placing thrust on development, and his recorded speeches, played through campaign vehicles, reiterate the need for a port. To his credit, he brought flyovers, four-lane roads and by-passes to the constituency.
“Mr. Vasantha Kumar talks about setting up a rubber factory. His party MP N. Dennis represented the constituency for six terms and did nothing. Neither of the former MPs Helen Davidson of the DMK or Bellarmine of the CPI(M) made any attempt [to implement such projects]. Mr. Vasantha Kumar’s opposition to the port is nothing but vote-bank politics,” alleged 80-year-old K. Muthukaruppan, a freedom fighter and a friend of senior Congress leaders, including Kamaraj, who now supports Mr. Radhakrishnan
When asked whether the irreparable damage caused by the by-pass running through fertile paddy fields could be called development, he said it was inevitable. “When you lay a railway track, you have to lose land. Why doesn’t anybody question that?” he asked.
In a district where religion overrides all political considerations, the BJP and the RSS sought to mobilise the Hindu votes by claiming that their very existence would come under threat if a non-BJP candidate was elected.
“There is another side to the choice of Mr. Vasantha Kumar. Christians feel the Congress will always opt for a Hindu candidate in the future if he is elected. So, a section of them may undermine Mr. Vasantha Kumar. It is akin to Catholic fishermen demanding representation against a protestant candidate,” contended a medical professional who is part of the BJP campaign team.
Former DMK Minister N. Suresh Rajan, however, argued that political arithmetic would prevail over all other considerations.
“Mr. Radhakrishnan was first elected when the BJP contested in the company of the DMK in 1999. He won last time because the DMK and the Congress contested separately. This time, the Congress is with us and Mr. Vasantha Kumar will win without any hitch,” he contended.