“The Democratic Spirit of the Tamil People is Stronger Than Ever”

Ahead of the elections in Tamil Nadu on April 18, Newsclick spoke to CPI(M) candidate for the Madurai Lok Sabha constituency, Su. Venkatesan. He talked about the issues he has highlighted during his campaign, the problems faced by the people of Madurai and the role of the Central government in delaying the Keezhadi excavations.

Su Venkatesan is a Sahitya Akademi award winner, and the President of the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers and Artists Association.

Newsclick: What  key issues have you raised in your campaign in the Madurai constituency?

Su. Venkatesan: It is important to remember that Madurai isn’t like any other city in Tamil Nadu. It has a special significance. It is the cultural capital of the State. But in many ways, it is a city which has been abandoned. There has been no long term thinking as far as this city is concerned.

In the last few years no specific policies have been designed for the city. For example, nothing has been done on the issue of drinking water. The problem continues to get worse. Last year the Chief Minister announced a 1,200 crore scheme for drinking water. But no money has come in after he made the announcement and left.

The situation is the same when it comes to education, unemployment and other basic issues. These are the problems I raised during my campaign.

Newsclick: What are the major plans you seek to implement as a representative of the people of Madurai?

Su. Venkatesan: I am demanding that the Centre officially recognise Madurai as a Historical Heritage City. In the last elections, Narendra Modi contested from Varanasi. Many thousands of crores were spent there. But when compared with Varanasi or similar places, Madurai has a history of maybe 3000 – 3500 years. At the minimum, the city is 2500 years old.

If it is recognised as a historically important site, through the Central government and UNESCO and other such bodies, Madurai will become globally visible. This will provide a boost to the tourism industry and related businesses, and a number of jobs will also be created.

Secondly, we have promised a metro train system for Madurai. This is one of the very important demands we’ve raised. This has also been mentioned in the DMK’s manifesto. Madurai is a very congested city. There is a huge shortage of space and people struggle with space and inadequate transport. So it definitely needs a metro rail.

Newsclick: The BJP and RSS have made repeated attacks on the Tamil language and culture. What are you proposing to do to counter this?

Su. Venkatesan: For the BJP and RSS, the greatest enemy is the philosophy, civilization, history and culture of the Tamil people. In the last three years, especially since former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa died, they have used the State government as a front to insidiously and consistently attack the Tamil people at an unprecedented level.

From Jalikattu to issues regarding the Pongal celebrations, I can list a number of such attacks. But Tamil people have been resisting this untiringly and relentlessly. They have not retreated or become weak due to these attacks. I feel they have been waiting for these elections. I am confident that the people will demonstrate that the democratic character of the Tamil people is as strong as ever.

Newsclick: Do you think the government of Tamil Nadu has taken any positive steps with regard to the Keezhadi excavation site and the preservation of waterbodies?

Su. Venkatesan: As far as the Keezhadi excavation project is concerned, the major problem is the Central government. After three years of excavation, they abandoned the project. During the same time, excavation projects in Gujarat and Rajasthan went on as usual. The abandoning of this project is purely political. This is because the Keezhadi site shows evidence of a town that could be nearly 3,000 years old, like Harappa and Mohenjodaro.

The site stretches over nearly 100 acres but excavations have not even been completed on 1 acre. Even 1% has not been properly excavated. This is because the truth that will emerge from these excavations will be a bitter one for them, and they will not be able to digest it. So they are trying to bury this truth

As far as the State government is concerned, because of its requests and court orders, it has finally begun excavations on its own. Our demand is that this should be continued. The Central government should also resume excavations on the site.

With regard to waterbodies, Madurai is a city with innumerable lakes and ponds. All of these have been destroyed. Madurai’s water levels have gone down alarmingly. Madurai is a city by two rivers. However, today, both these rivers have almost dried up and look like small streams. No waterbodies have been protected. Many have been encroached on and face extinction.

I began my election campaign by paying tribute to the Vaigai river because it has such a great history. On the banks of this river, a city emerged that came to be called the first city of the Tamil people. All this was a product of the water of the river. But today, all the waterbodies in the region have been destroyed. Madurai is named after a tree, the ‘Marudha’ tree. This was a region full of these trees. Today, there are no trees at all. The situation is that bad.