Nagappa widow joins fray

There seems to be only one poll issue in Hanur — the abduction of former minister Nagappa by Veerappan and his mysterious death in the ...

There seems to be only one poll issue in Hanur — the abduction of former minister Nagappa by Veerappan and his mysterious death in the Chagadi forests. And pushing her cause is Nagappa’s widow and JD(S) candidate from Hanur, Parimala.

Her favoured campaign territory has been across border villages, also Veerappan’s domain. JD(S) workers have put up Nagappa’s photo at meetings and highlighted his abduction and death at the brigand’s hands. The campaign inevitably turns to the ruling Congress which, Parimala says, is responsible for her husband’s death.

Parimala told The Indian Express she is not banking on a sympathy wave. ‘‘If that was the case, I would have displayed the posters of my family and the decomposed body of my husband in all the villages and prominent junctions. Why should I visit these backward border villages under the scorching sun if I relied on sympathy alone?’’ she said. Parimala will highlight the state government’s ‘‘lack of political will’’ to rescue her husband from the outlaw. Her plea to the PM, President and chief ministers of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu went in vain.

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She said she would continue to demand a CBI probe into her husband’s death. Many Congressmen, including supporters of Raju Gowda who are anguished at the death of Nagappa, are likely to join her campaign. Hanur has around 1,62,500 women voters and Parimala believes most are on her side.

Thousands of women members have joined Nagappa Abimanigala Sangha across the constituency.

Parimala had toured Hanur with her husband in the 1989 Assembly elections. ‘‘But I had never dreamt that I would contest the election and seek support of the party men to defeat the Congress,’’ she said. She also took on the government’s claims of development in Hanur. On her son-in-law Kirna Patel joining the Congress, she said Congress leaders split her family by inducting him into the party.