COIMBATORE: A Noor Mohammed, 68, of Sundarapuram wanted to make a strong political statement before filing his nomination as an independent candidate in Kinathukadavu constituency for the April 23 assembly election. He arrived at the Madukkarai taluk office on Saturday sitting on a wheeled board like a beggar. He had tonsured his head; he wore a garland of green chillies; and he held a vessel containing a few coins. And the message he wanted to convey to people was: “Don’t sell your votes.”Mohammed said vote-buying harmed not just individual voters but the whole state. He warned that when people exchanged their democratic rights for money, society would be pushed toward hardship and humiliation.
“If you sell your votes for money to big politicians, they will try to recover that money from you. So, the development of the state and society will be affected. Ultimately, we all would be pushed into my current situation. So, if anyone gives money for your vote, take it and vote for the right candidate,” he added.His arrival on a wheeled board drew attention from officials and the public. But instead of wearing a well-ironed white shirt, a golden shawl and an ironed dhoti with a golden bordered edge, he could have chosen a beggarly outfit to convey his “current situation” in a better way.