Battle of MGR loyalist and trusted bureaucrat

A loyalist of AIADMK founder M G Ramachandran and a bureacrat trusted by the late leader are battling it out in this backward Vanniyar community heartland in the May 13 Lok Sabha elections.     

S Jagathrakshakan, who joined AIADMK attracted by MGR's policies when the latter founded the party in 1972, is the DMK's nominee and retired IAS officer R Velu, handpicked by the late Chief Minister in the 1980s to quell communal violence in Tirunelveli District, has been fielded by PMK.     

Jagathrakshakan remained an MGR loyalist till the actor's death and unlike many party colleagues did not join the Jayalalithaa faction, when the party split after MGR's death in 1987.     

But, he kept away from active politics and started concentrating on his educational institutions for some time.     

In 1999, as the General Secretary of the MGR Kazhagam, floated by MGR confidante R M Veerappan, he contested the Arokonam seat on the DMK symbol and won.     

Velu, former Minister of State for Railways, was hand picked by then Chief Minister MGR as Tirunelveli Collector when the district was rocked by frequent communal clashes in the wake of mass conversion of Dalits to Islam at Meenakshipuram village in the early 80s to restore peace in the area.     

Using his administrative acumen and adopting a humanitarian approach, he ensured peace in the area.

Though delimitation had brought new areas under the Arokonam Lok Sabha constituency, it has retained its character as an industrial area thanks to the large number of major, medium and small-scale industries located in the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) and the Small Industries Development Corporation (SIDCO) industrial estates in Ranipet and Arakkonam.      

Katpadi Assembly segment has been added after delimitation, while Cheyyar has gone to the newly formed Arani constituency.     

The erstwhile Pallipet Assembly segment has been merged with Tiruttani segment, which has been included in Arakkonam constituency.     

Industrial sickness among small and medium enterprises due to the lack of orders, unemployment induced by frequent power cuts and the absence of effective steps to tide over the power crisis are among the major issues here.      

Frequent power cuts have resulted in lay-offs owing to the inability of the companies to provide continuous employment.      

The powerloom weavers of Panapakkam, Nemili and Pallipet in the Arakkonam and Tiruttani Assembly segments say that power loom owners have not been given the benefit of loan waiver.

Velu is banking on his track record in the past five years when he introduced stoppages of express trains at Walajapet Road, Anwarthikanpettai and Banavaram stations in the constituency, and introduced new trains, benefitting villagers going to Arakkonam, Chennai or Jolarpet for work.      

He has promised to give priority to drinking water schemes to the people suffering on account of the depletion of groundwater in the Palar and Ponnai rivers.      

He says he will ensure the implementation of the project of linking the Southern rivers. He also promises to take steps to get loan waivers and free power supply for the powerloom weavers.      

Jagathrakshakan has promised to modernise the railway workshop in Arakkonam and increase employment opportunities by establishing a Special Economic Zone for shoe units and units making leather products.      

Providing protected drinking water to the people, creating a new satellite town to Chennai near Arakkonam and solving the problems faced by the power loom sector and the SMEs are his other assurances to the people.      

Also in the fray are S Sankar of Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam and Mary John of Bahujan Samaj Party.