In December 2015 after AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa's bail was extended, M Muniasamy and his relatives were staring at the sea at Sadamunivalasai, a coastal hamlet, unable to go out to fish because of unusually strong winds. This stretch of Ramanathapuram is known for fishing and seaweed collecting.“They have locked up such a saintly woman, even the climate can't stand it,“ he says, trying to explain the wind that's grounded them.
Among the fisherfolk all along the 1,076km coastline of TN it is “the party of MGR“ that holds sway, and 70% of their votes go to AIADMK.MGR won their hearts with his two films, Padagotti in which he played a leader of the fishermen, and Meenava Nanban, in which he comes to their defence. His roles won DMK votes, and when he broke away to form AIADMK, he drew the fishing community along. “By default 70% of fisherfolk votes go to AIADMK, though some also vote for DMK,“ says V Sudhan, a fishermen's leader in Kanyakumari.
The TN coast can be divided into four categories -Coramandal coast (Thiruvallur-Nagapattinam), Palk Bay (Nagapattinam-Ramanathapuram), Gulf of Mannar (RameswaramKanyakumari) and Western Coast (Kanyakumari-Neerodi).There are more than 20 castes in the community and are evenly distributed along the coast.Fisherfolk from Tuticorin, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari are mainly Christians, while rest are from various religions.These are tight-knit communi ties who vote according to their leaders' suggestions. Along the Kanyakumari coast, the Roman Catholic Church plays significant role in socio-political and religious decisions, while local panchayats make the dictum in Nagapattinam.
DMK has quite a few promises for the community in its manifesto, including increasing the dole during the nonfishing period and ST status but it may not lure them.
“AIADMK government has fulfilled most of these promises silently. Further, DMK has failed to touch upon the fishermen's row with Sri Lanka that directly affects six coastal districts. What is the use of giving `5,000 for non-fishing months; how will we survive the rest of the time?“ said B Jesuraja, district secretary of Tamil Nadu Mechanised Boat Fishermen Association at Rameswaram.
Observers say Jayalalithaa has a soft corner for fisherfolk and the community reciprocates. They consider her stopping the Sethusamudram shipping channel project a sign of policies being pro-fisherman, though they do wonder why she has not fielded candidates from the community in the coastal areas this time.
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