Srirangam, April 05: She has never lived here nor does she come here even occasionally. But residents of this temple town on the banks of River Cauvery have developed an emotional attachment to AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa ever since she announced that she will contest the Assembly elections from here.
There are no flags, posters and hoardings seeking votes from the people on the narrow lanes that lead to the famous Vaishnavite shrine, Sri Ranganathaswamy, but the residents and tourists who flock to this town talk a lot about the April 13 elections, especially the contest between Jayalalithaa and her rival DMK”s N Anand, an electoral novice.
Gangan, who is into selling and buying cows for the past several decades, says Jayalalithaa”s family used to stay in the East Uthara Road that overlooks the Temple and that her father was an advocate.
“She is one among us. She is a native of Srirangam. Jayalalithaa belongs to a very big family and now she is contesting from here….so she has come back to trace her roots,” he tells PTI as he discusses the election with one of his friend from a near-by mutt in the South Chitirai Street.
Sreenivasan, a young graduate who is working with the Sri Swarnavarna Theerther Mutt, agrees with him and says he will vote only for the AIADMK chief.
“I will vote only for her…It”s my wish. I am inspired by her and I will vote for her only,” he says when asked to explain why he will vote for Jayalalithaa.
The discussion again comes back to Jayalalithaa”s origin and what her ancestors were doing here. Gangan claimed the former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister was born here and her family later migrated to Mysore in Karnataka.
“They were here only and her father was a lawyer… they come from a very well-off family…later they went to some other place. But she belongs to this town,” he said.
He also claimed that almost everyone in Srirangam knew that Jayalalithaa belongs to this town and the outside world came to know about this only now after she herself said she hails from here.
——–PTI