Aruppukkotai: For the 15-year-old girl from Chennai, the election campaign in the coming days during summer vacation is a blessing in disguise. After procuring political party badges; photo images of political leaders, caps and towels printed with images of party leaders from a wholesale shop in Chennai, she and her elder brother have reached Aruppukkottai, venue of AIADMK general secretary J. Jayalalithaa’s meeting on Friday, early in the morning to sell the materials to AIADMK cadres.
But they were disappointed when police detained them for nearly two-hours refusing entry to the venue. “We begged the police to show mercy on us,” said the brother, requesting anonymity.
“I depend on this earning to manage my educational expenditure for class 11,” said the girl who braved the hot sun to sell those items to the enthusiastic crowd which gathered from various parts of southern districts to the meeting from 11 am onwards.
The girl’s parents are working as daily-wage labourers in Chennai. “Their earning is only sufficient to meet our daily needs. We have to borrow money even for purchasing school uniforms,” said the girl adding she is hoping to earn '5,000 during the election.
The AIADMK cadres and supporters picked up the wares that she spread out on a plastic sheet in the open ground. Some diehard follower of MGR raised slogans — ‘Puratchi Thalaivar Vaazhga’ after they purchased his pictures.
The girl and her brother are just among the 100s who hop from one political meeting place to another during election season hoping to make a quick money putting up with all odds. And for some vendors who were attracted to the AIADMK ideology, it turned out to be their permanent business.
“I didn’t have food since morning because I solely depended on this income to run my family,” said 45-year-old widow S. Santhi. Santhi, an AIADMK sympathiser from Chennai, had purchased these materials for Rs 2,000 from a wholesaler there. “We spent nearly Rs 600 for travel to reach this place. Unless we make a profit of at least Rs 1,500, it will be a loss for us,” said Santhi who along with her 70-year-old mother Rani use the facilities in the bus terminus.
“I hope to earn at least Rs 10,000 the next month so that I could pay the school fees for my grandson in June,” said Rani. Vendor Elumalai from Tiruvannamalai said using the summer vacation many school students have joined them in this election meeting mainly to pay their fees.
“I have hired five students to assist me in the sales. I pay Rs 300 to each students after the meeting,” he added. These vendors share a close relationship with political party functionaries across the district. After they get to know the meeting schedule through newspapers or television, the vendors would immediately contact the functionaries.
“Political functionaries would arrange marriage or community hall for their stay during normal meetings for occasions such as Jayalalithaa or Karunanidhi’s birthday. But during election time, we depend only on bus terminus,” said P. Pachimuthu (50) from Madurai.
Pachimuthu who was into the business for more than 20 years said that AIADMK cadres show more interest to purchase their leader’s picture than other political party cadre because both MGR and Jayalalithaa are from film world.
“I never go outside without keeping the picture of Anna in my pocket. It gives me moral strength and also helps to improve my social status in society,” said Kathiravan (40) from Aruppukkottai. Though AIADMK meeting still proves to be very lucrative for many vendors, they also opined that nowadays people are showing interest purchasing pictures of DMK leader M.K. Stalin and also Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
