If you're from the South Madurai constituency, there is a chance (don't bet on it) that you may be flying around in your family mini helicopter by the end of the year. It's also possible that you could be chatting with your friends from other not-so-fortunate constituencies on your iPhone while swimming at the pool in your house. That is, if independent candidate Thulam Saravanan is elected to power in the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections.
Saravanan's poll promises have gone viral and for good reason. The aspiring politician's symbol is the dustbin and the poster also says, "Nermayin chinnam kuppaithotti" (the symbol of honesty is the dustbin).
Apart from a helicopter, iPhone and three-storey house with swimming pool, Saravanan has also promised a sum of Rs 1 crore to every household, a robot to do housework, 100 sovereigns of gold for women when they're getting married, Rs 1 crore to youth who wish to start businesses, Rs 10 lakh per month for people with disabilities, canals with a boat for every household, a 100-day trip to the moon, a 300-feet artificial iceberg to keep the constituency cool and also a rocket launchpad.
According to the 33-year-old's affidavit, he has Rs 10,000 cash in hand and Rs 2,000 in the bank. However, Saravanan tells TNM that he made these promises to "create awareness among the people of Tamil Nadu".
"It's not that it is impossible [to fulfill these promises] but you have to spend a lot of money. My aim is to create awareness among the people. In election time, political parties promise this and that to get votes, and they don't do anything after that. I have made these promises to create awareness among the people of Tamil Nadu, particularly the youth," he says.
Saravanan, who works as a reporter with a newspaper, adds that he chose the dustbin as his symbol for a reason.
"I chose the dustbin because we need to get rid of the garbage of bribery and corruption in the system," he says.
While his poll promises have become an internet sensation, not everyone is aware of the reason behind them. So if you're from South Madurai, know that the helicopter dream is likely to land right into the dustbin.