Tamil Nadu Assembly polls: Karthikeya Sivasenapathy takes on AIADMK's Coimbatore strongman S P Velumani

Karthikeya Sivasenapathy caught the imagination of youngsters in Tamil Nadu when lakhs of women and men converged on the sands of Marina Beach in Chennai demanding conduct of bull-taming sport, Jallikattu.

Sivasenapathy was one of the organisers of the “faceless” movement that resulted in a law being passed in the Tamil Nadu Assembly allowing Jallikattu in the state. His speeches on Tamil culture and tradition then and later were lapped up by people as he heads the Senaapathy Kangayam Cattle Research Foundation which works on the conservation of native breeds of cattle.

And, this election, Sivasenapathy shoulders a very big responsibility given by his party, DMK, which he joined last year. He is pitted against AIADMK Coimbatore strongman and Municipal Administration Minister S P Velumani, one of the two lieutenants of Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami. Velumani wields enormous power in the city and its suburbs.

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The contest in Thondamuthur on the outskirts of Coimbatore is nothing short of a political pot-boiler with Velumani and Sivasenapathy locking the horns. Velumani is popular not just in his constituency of Thondamuthur, but in other parts of Coimbatore as well.

“I don’t think S P Velumani is high and mighty and all. He is simply a politician who has enough money and too much money. Money gives him brutality of power and he thinks he is a great man. He is in a falling sphere and I will be victorious,” Sivasenapathy told DH in the midst of his campaign.

Sivasenapathy was hand-picked by DMK President M K Stalin to take on Velumani after the Opposition party decided to take the battle straight into AIADMK bastions. Western Tamil Nadu is a traditional stronghold of AIADMK and the party hopes to repeat its past performance in the April 6 polls as well.

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A proponent of social justice and providing educational opportunities for all sections of the society, Sivasenapathy harps onto corruption charges against his challenger, Velumani, and dares him to come for a debate on several issues. The chief of DMK's environmental wing also talks about issues that concern the people and dubs the AIADMK Government as having “subjected itself” to the BJP.

Asked about his chances given Velumani's rapport with the public in his constituency, Sivasenapathy said the minister did nothing but give “cash” to people while taking away the “rights of their children” by keeping mum on issues like NEET, and New Education Policy (NEP).

“I ask people whether they are just content with money, or they need to educate their children. They say they want to give a quality education to children. Velumani does not care about anything. He wants power and votes,” Sivasenapathy said.