The magic of the currency note is never more apparent than at election time in Tamil Nadu. Everyone loves money but what is it about the cash-for-vote that makes it so compelling as to allow people to accept the 'bribe' when it is offered for a vote? If the phenomenon is at its worst in the State, the people are not to blame. The money is on offer and so they take it. The guilty one is he who gives the bribe. But don't people know that such a bribe is only an investment on the part of the candidate so he can reap what he sows?
A string of arguments is presented by the takers. It is being thrust on us and so we take it. If we don't take it, the party organiser will pocket it. It is our money anyway and we get it back before every poll. The only way we can enjoy some of our own money is if we take this 'gift.' How does it matter where the money comes from as they don't take it from us? The net result is crores of rupees are given to the people in an attempt to buy their votes with some people clever enough to take it from more than one party.
The litany of explanations just goes on to justify the taking of the money, which has become a poll ritual in Tamil Nadu. There is no end to this practice that began in the early 2000s and became universally famous after the Thrumangalam byelection in 2009 in which MK Alagiri played a big part in spreading the lolly around for the ruling DMK to keep the seat. Since then ingenious ways have been found to hand over the moolah to voters after the Model Code of Conduct comes into effect.
Tamil Nadu's tryst with corruption is a strange and varied one. There was palpable anger against Jayalalithaa and her aide Sasikala after they were snapped walking in the wedding procession with enough gold on them to sink a whale. There were even conspiracy theories regarding a jeweller who committed suicide in the State after having supplied some of the gold on display. It was long before the start of the popular Internet Age but that image of the wedding procession could have been said to have gone viral.
Jayalalithaa was brought down in 1996, which was also the time of the famous Rajinikanth political quote on even God not being in a position to save the State. But people's memory can be said to be very short. She was to come back on the regular 5-year shuttle service in which one ruling party was voted out and the older one brought in. This at a time when the M Karunanidhi government had done much for the State, particularly in social equality and much else.
The words of an autorickshaw driver stays etched in the mind as I had done this sample survey with him on who would be elected in 2001 and he promptly said "Jaya, of course." Pressed about corruption charges, he said it was not an issue as she had taken anything from him. The comment was important as it suggested a class of voters having forgiven Jaya & Co. for their transgressions. Most public opinions polls had predicted that DMK would come back but the driver's remark had been convincing enough for us to believe otherwise.
The point is corruption is not as big an issue in the country as it might be with the more moralistic stand that the media invariably takes, and rightly too. Only the ones who get caught after stretching the justice delivery system as far as its accordion-like expansion would allow are condemned as prisoners. Everyone else is allowed a huge leeway. Considering forgiveness of corruption in leaders held beloved is forgiven easily enough, Tamil Nadu suffers most from a cycle of corruption of the electorate to boot.
The 2019 election may have seen a lot of money being pressed into voters' hands but in sheer density of bribe giving the RK Nagar election might have set the gold standard. Not even rescinding of the poll could stop the flow of money, which was the cash flow equivalent of Tasmac stuff. There seems no end to this free flow and there won't be unless the politicians themselves change. But then they have made such an enterprise out of running the State that they must perforce corrupt the voters in their bid to stay in or come back to power. This is a unique vicious cycle that has Tamil Nadu in its grasp.
