Tax Paying Voter

Muslim Murasu, April 2011

Tamilnadu Housing Board forms a part of the state government. It allocates a separate portion for high-income groups in the housing projects that it undertakes. Habitats that divide Tamils were created in Chennai city as early as Perarinar Anna’s tenure when areas like Adyar Indranagar, Amijikarai, Annanagar were cornered for affluent people.
The air-conditioned buses that swoosh by in Chennai demarcate voters, consumers. Politicians have consistently seen unquestionable success in stratifying people. Everyone knows that there are two different classes in flights based on ticket cost. There are pay-to-use toilets and then there are free-for-use toilets. The maintenance in government schools and private schools becomes clear when one enters and feels for oneself. One group does not eat groceries from ration shops. Quality products in shopping complexes rationalizes social status.
Vote is same and equal for everyone. The pledges of all are equal before law will serve as a joke in practical life. It is a duty to vote, but to compel everyone to vote on equal footing cannot be justified.
Electorate sits on the ground, nowadays on chairs, in public meetings. But people residing in the same street do not pay a visit. They do not accept outlandish speeches, nor do they participate in marches and processions with the candidate. The mobs of hopeless indentured slaves, compulsive drunkards, beedi-puffing voters, they each have different activities and fields.
All voters are not equal. One casts his vote with no knowledge of day-to-day happenings. Another voter weighs carefully with deep knowledge and keen understanding. One vote for each policy has ended in failure. One who pays income tax of thirty thousand rupees cannot stand in queue to vote alongside one who does not pay even thirty paise as tax. This is buttressed by polling of mere fifty percent. Learned and layman are not equal. The smell of sweat is intolerable and worse is the nauseating liquor and beedi. Unable to struggle with these people in the queue, affluent are not able to help the candidate.
Electorate should be divided based on those who pay tax and those who don’t. This will be the first step to save the democracy. The vote of affluent and plebeian are not equal. Let the falsehood that has prevailed for 63 years come to an end. Layman leadership, layman schemes, layman rule and layman franchise should be scrutinized.