Chennai: Political leaders campaigning in this elections are using a simple common language, besides illustrations from everyday life to connect with people in a clear transformation from the days of using chaste Tamil with similes, rhetoric and quotes from classical Tamil literature.
Even before the actual campaign started, DMK chief M. Karunanidhi began with his famous “Fruit will fall in milk” example, which was much debated in political circles.
Later, party’s principal secretary K. Duraimurugan came out with the ‘cherry in ice-cream’ quote to stress that DMK without Vijayakanth alliance could be successful.
The DMK chief began addressing women voters with simple daily life examples to drive home his political point. In 1980, he explained his alliance with Congress citing an example of a pot. He said “In 1977, Congress was a hot pot. Now, it is cool. But, Janata Party is a broken pot”. He was referring to the clash between DMK and Congress in 1977 and the split in Janata Party in 1980.
Another example was the ladle with black gram. It goes as follows. “Two women with ladles, one empty and the other with black grams in the ladle are fighting. While the woman with empty ladle could turn it at all possible directions, the woman with black grams could not do so, for the risk of spilling the black grams”.
Explaining the illustration in detail, Karunanidhi used to say, an opposition party could resort to any kind of protests as it is like the woman with empty ladle and the ruling party has a government to lose.
In this election campaign, even MDMK leader Vaiko, known for his fiery and literary oratory is experimenting on simple illustrations. At the Mamandur conference of PWA-DMDK alliance, he was trying to explain why he had allied with AIADMK and DMK in the past and did not try a new front. He said time should be ripe for anything and this is the right time do so. DMK leader Stalin used humourous punches, songs and dialogues.
AIADMK general secretary J. Jayalalithaa did not come out with anecdotes or stories this time and confined herself to political points and debates.
