Will choose life and livelihood over investments, says DMK’s industry-heavy North Chennai candidate

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Decembers often spell disaster for Chennai — floods, cyclones, a Tsunami and high-profile political deaths — and last December was no different. Cyclone Michaung tore the city apart and brought flood waters aplenty, only for Chennai to see a major oil spill the following week originating from the Chennai Petroleum Corporation refinery in Ennore.

If this wasn’t bad enough, later that month, an accident at a loading terminal belonging to Coromandel Fertilisers resulted in a gas leak that crippled life in Ennore and Tiruvottiyur.

Chennai North was recently plagued by a cyclone, oil spill & gas leak. Fighting for re-election is DMK’s @DrKalanidhiV who came down heavily against Coromandel Fertiliser’s plant for causing Ennore gas leak. He speaks to @JudeSannith24 about social spending & prioritising lives pic.twitter.com/xSIzxKHiqU

— CNBC-TV18 (@CNBCTV18News) April 12, 2024

So, just days before Chennai hosted the much-anticipated Global Investors’ Meet in January, the DMK MP for North Chennai, Kalanidhi Veeraswamy drafted a petition to the Centre, requesting for the closure of Coromandel Fertilisers’ unit, following the gas-leak. The MP received some criticism from some political commentators over the timing of such a request — just days before a mammoth investor summit.

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Today, as he runs for re-election from North Chennai, Kalanidhi tells CNBC-TV18 that he does not regret the request. “Investments can’t happen at the cost of lives,” he says as he drives down to campaign, “The Coromandel Fertiliser gas-leak indicated that certain environmental obligations were not met.”

Kalanidhi adds: “There were certain obligations like keeping vehicles on stand-by in case of an incident or conducting dry runs and training to prepare for emergencies. All of this wasn’t done. Developed countries take environmental violations seriously irrespective of investments. We must be no different from them.”

Given that parts of his constituency in North Chennai — Ennore and Tiruvottiyur in particular — were gravely impacted by the incidents, some anti-incumbency would typically be on the cards. However, the MP claims that there is none, crediting the Tamil Nadu Government’s welfare measures like free bus travel and social spending in general for improving lives.

“Every family impacted by Cyclone Michaung has been paid some amount to compensate for their losses — ₹6,000 — and those families impacted by the Ennore oil spill have been paid ₹13,000 as compensation,” says Kalanidhi, “We have been in touch with the people in these parts, and they understand that these are force majeures, and can’t be controlled by an individual.”

Remedial measures that Kalanidhi proposes while speaking to CNBC-TV18 include dealing more strictly with companies committing environmental violations and mandating that all factories in North Chennai install sensors to ensure quality of life.

“If there is an issue that impacts people’s lives, I am on the side of the people,” he says, answering a question if it would be tough to strike a balance between increasing regulation on plants and encouraging investment into the state.

The incumbent MP’s other plans for the region also include clearing up legacy waste and land acquisition to build social infrastructure like a children’s park for the constituency. However, if there’s one fact that he can’t shake off — one that impacts several other candidates from the DMK, it’s the ‘dynast’ tag. After all, Kalanidhi is the son of former Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister, Arcot Veeraswamy, who was also one of the tallest leaders in the M Karunanidhi era of the DMK.

“I’m not worried about being a dynast; a capable dynast should be given opportunities,” he says, “Dynast or not, our electorate will judge candidates based on their merits.” Kalanidhi goes on to justify why dynasts ought to have a rightful place in politics: “Being born into a political family means that politics is ingrained in our blood from an early age.”

Notably, all three incumbent DMK MPs from Chennai — Dayanidhi Maran, Thamizhachi Thangapandian and Kalanidhi himself — are political dynasts. While Dayanidhi is the son of former union minister The Late Murasoli Maran, Thamizhachi is the sister of Tamil Nadu finance minister, Thangam Thennarasu.

Taking aim at the BJP, Kalanidhi says the party has apathy for people: “The BJP has never done good for those struggling to survive. The party has only favoured corporate entities and taxed the common man instead.” He adds: “Electoral bonds have exposed the extent of corruption and extortion by the BJP too.”

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow