In poll-bound Tamil Nadu, real issues being pushed into oblivion, thanks to political mudslinging

CHENNAI: Trivial issues, such as personal attacks and below-the-belt remarks, have often driven political campaigns. But this time, the dose of trivia has been especially high, pushing actual issues to the back seat.

Campaigning for the upcoming elections began more than three months ago, and from the beginning, the two Dravidian majors faithfully traded personal attacks.

Eventually, a war of ‘fake messages’ erupted on social media, with each party posting false information about the other’s election manifesto.

The mudslinging reached a crescendo last week, with DMK’s A Raja’s remarks on the birth and worthiness of Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami. The AIADMK lodged a complaint with the Election Commission, and Raja was booked.

He later apologised, and said his remarks were twisted, but by then, the damage was done. The EC delisted him as a star campaigner and debarred him from campaigning for 48 hours. Meanwhile, videos of other leaders passing such comments began to emerge.

The Kamal Haasan-led MNM described BJP national women’s wing president and Coimbatore South candidate Vanathi Srinivasan as a “thukkada” (unimportant) candidate.

In response, Vanathi employed a double entendre, saying Kamal Haasan has only been offering “lip service”.

This too provoked a host of reactions.  Meanwhile, political jingles, most of them with personal attacks against leaders, have been doing the rounds online. The latest video doing the rounds is on BJP candidate and former IPS officer K Annamalai’s remarks against DMK’s Senthil Balaji.  

Asked about this trend, political analyst Tharasu Shyam said, “I witnessed many conferences and meetings of the DMK and Periyar in the past. In those days, people paid a fee to attend the meetings. In 1967, people paid to attended the DMK conference at Virugambakkam. Now, people are being paid to attend such meetings.”

“When the crowd is spontaneous, leaders can’t speak whatever they wish because the audience will question them. Now, there is no one to question the leaders as the crowd has been arranged by them. Actual issues have taken a back seat or even vanished,” he added.