His party leader Vijayakanth may have grand plans to fix the price of petrol in Tamil Nadu at 45 a litre and diesel at 35, but DMDK's Ambattur candidate Ravindran Constandine makes no mention of such outlandish promises.
Ravindran Constandine, called 'the professor' by his supporters, is wooing voters with the implementation of RTE in private schools.
Constandine could be the only politician in the city for whom implementing the right to education (RTE) is a priority. The RTE act makes education a fundamental right of every child between six and 14.
It entails private schools to reserve 25% of seats for the poor. The cost incurred will be reimbursed by the state as part of the public-private partnership plan.
"In Ambattur, 60% to 70% of the population is economically backward. They are not even allowed to enter these schools. How will their children get a proper education?" says Constandine, who holds a masters in engineering degree from Anna University and has been faculty at JJ College, Trichy and Vel Tech University, Avadi. "When I met the people, they said they wanted good education for their children. They are aware of RTE," he says.
Asked if his promise will attract voters when candidates from AIADMK and DMK-backed Congress are promising discounted scooters and free smartphones, Ravindran said people need education and employment first. For that, he says, he will request factories and manufacturing units operating in Ambattur to employ people from the constituency.
"There are more than 1,000 units here. If these employ at least 10% of their staff from here, a lot of people will get jobs," he says.
On civic amenities, Ravindran, who fought the Lok Sabha elections from Chennai Central, said, "In 2011, Ambattur was included in Chennai Corporation. The taxes have gone up but the corporation is yet to give water connections. There is no proper drainage. If I win, I will get these done."
And while economists are yet to discover how Vijayakanth will provide petrol at '45 without emptying the state coffers, Ravindran has an answer: "Our Captain has several ideas. He has been in touch with experts on this."
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