In India’s “knitwear capital” Tiruppur, the AIADMK and the CPI are likely to see a strong adversary in the BJP, which is trying to make inroads into this important Tamil Nadu constituency with promises of pulling its bleeding garment units out of trouble with inclusive development.
The issues facing Tiruppur’s textile and apparel industries have taken centre-stage, as rising raw material costs threaten to wipe out the once thriving micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that dotted this region. While some units have already been forced to shut down, the onestottering fear the crisis will engulf them soon.
The CPI has retained its parliamentarian K Subbarayan, while the AIADMK, which is hoping to wrest back power from the CPI-DMK arrangement, has fielded its Erode Suburban East District MGR Youth Wing secretary P Arunachalam. BJP’S AP Muruganandam is a fresh face in the constituency. The CPI had replaced the AIADMK in 2019 with K Subbarayan winning 45.44% vote share and MSM Anandan of the AIADMK coming in second with 37.10% vote share. In 2014, it was V Sathyabama of the AIADMK who had won with a 42.16% vote share.
This time round, Subbarayan is promising that industry will benefit if the INDIA bloc comes to power. However, the industry does not appear convinced. “Unlike Coimbatore, which also has engineering, medical and other industries apart from textiles, Tiruppur is a 100% textile town,” MP Muthurathinam, president of the Tiruppur Exporters And Manufacturers Association, told ET. “We have seen that nearly 50% of our members have shut down their businesses because of various issues affecting our sector. The only way that this will sort out is to have an MP from the same party as the one at Centre.” The concerns in Tiruppur are squarely surrounding the health of the textile units and the complete absence of jobs because of the closure of several garment units.
The BJP seems to have found some footing in the region, selling the hope of better times. “Work has been slow for the last two-three years because other countries are offering very cheap rates,” 37-year-old M Jyothimurugan, who works at a textile factory, said.
However, it isn’t just hope. The BJP has managed to wean people like 35-year-old K Anbarasu–an HR executive who also has his own business–away from the Dravidian parties by providing him with access to credit easier.
“I will vote for the BJP for the first time because Modi ji has given access to credit for regular people and businesses,” he said. “Even for me, I was able to get a ₹40-lakh loan with no collateral for my MSME that I run on the side. If I had gone during the Congress period, even for ₹5 lakh, I would have had to give collateral and gone through a lot of trouble to get that amount.”
Then there are some like 56-year-old snack-stall owner D Kumar who are clear that while it was good to have the BJP at the Centre, he wants the AIADMK to be in power locally.
“I will vote for Edappadi,” he said. “There have been lot of problems in the last three years, not just for me but a lot of others–work and employment is not good. It is almost impossible to do business in Tiruppur because everything is running in losses.”
But not everyone is buying into the ‘Modi magic.’ There are those like 34-year-old Devi S, a factory worker for whom loyalty and following the family tradition are more important.
She said she would vote for the AIADMK as her family has always voted for the party for generations. And while others like 52-year-old K Balakrishnan seem to agree, his family does not seem to care much for party loyalty. “I will vote for Stalin because I am a member of the party,” he said. “They have done good work for our area. They have provided us with water and laid good roads. But everyone else in my house is voting for the BJP though.”
