PMK’s Chief Ministerial candidate Anbumani Ramadoss is a man on the move. He travels at least 400 to 500 km every day, touring the state canvassing votes for his party candidates.
E.T.B. Sivapriyan travels with the former Union Minister during his journey from Vellore to Kancheepuram. It’s 11 am and Anbumani is ready for yet another busy and extremely tiring day. Checking out from his hotel at Vellore, he gets into his SUV that will take him to his first election meeting of the day in K.V. Kuppam, 22 km from Vellore.
Once he is inside the car, he wears his seat belt and signals his driver to start, in what would be a 450-km journey that would take him through three districts – Vellore, Tiruvannamalai and Kancheepuram – before he reaches Chennai.
As his convoy zips past through Katpadi, Anbumani opens up to Deccan Chronicle about his campaign trail. “People are really fed up with DMK and AIADMK. They want change, not freebies,” he says, as he swifts through his mobile phones for updates from across the State on how PMK’s election campaign was progressing.
“I have been on the move for the past 15 months. I have a very busy day. It starts around 6.30 a.m. and I go to sleep only by 1.30 a.m,” he says about his daily schedule and asks his driver to stop the car to accept garlands from his party cadres at Latheri village.
“Come slowly. Don’t drive fast,” he advises the youth and signals his driver to start the vehicle. In 25 minutes, the convoy reaches K V Kuppam, the first election meeting. Introducing the candidates, Anbumani begins his speech in a casual manner and targets the DMK and AIADMK for “making the people lazy” by giving freebies.
“I will not give you mixer grinders, wet grinders, TV, fridge, washing machine, bed spreads, cots, blankets or goat or anything. I will give you education and jobs,” he says.
As his speech goes beyond the stipulated time, his aide signals him. The next meeting at Chettupattu in Tiruvannamalai district, 70 kms away. “I just take a cup of Horlicks in the morning; have a decent lunch which is usually after 4 pm and a very light dinner. In between, I just sip glasses of hot water,” Anbumani says about his diet, back in the car.
As the convoy passes through the State Highways, the PMK leader switches on the music player in his car to listen to Illayaraja songs and when he realises he would reach the next stop in a few minutes, he asks his aide for a cup of hot water.
At Chettupattu, PMK workers and public wait to see him braving the scorching sun. Again, Anbumani tears into AIADMK and DMK telling voters that “they have done nothing constructive and progressive” in the past 50 years.
Back in the car, Anbumani realises he is late for the next meeting at Cheyyar, 35 km away, and asks his aide to check with organisers there whether shelters had been arranged for people to sit as the sun was at its peak.
Taking yet another glass of hot water, Anbumani realises it is 3.00 pm and he would have to finish his meeting at Cheyyar quickly to complete his itinerary and finishes his speech in 15 minutes.
The next stop is Kancheepuram where lunch awaits him. Back in the car, he swifts through his mobile phones again to get updates and makes a few calls to ensure all is well at home as well in party’s election preparedness. Finally, the convoy reaches Kancheepuram, a little after 4 pm, for a brief halt.
