Madurai
BJP Tamil Nadu president Nainar Nagendran on Tuesday questioned why Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Vijay did not condemn the party’s election management general secretary Adhav Arjuna for remarks critical of actor Rajinikanth. He said Adhav Arjuna should apologise for the comments.
Speaking in Madurai, Nagendran also attacked the ruling DMK, alleging that only a few of the 505 promises made during the last Assembly election had been fulfilled. He claimed the government was using its power to influence people with cash and misinformation, and accused it of attempting to position Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin as Chief Minister.
Citing the old pension scheme, he said the DMK had earlier promised to bring it back, but was now saying it would be implemented in June, and questioned what guarantee existed. He further alleged that unlike the earlier scheme where the government bore the full cost, the current proposal would require government employees to contribute 10%.
Nagendran alleged that seasonal payouts such as summer and Pongal assistance were being used to divert public attention ahead of elections, and said “money power” would not decide the outcome. He also raised concerns over crime and narcotics, claiming 1,977 murders in the last five years including 361 children, and alleged a rise in ganja and cocaine movement, citing the seizure of two lakh kilograms of ganja.
On political speculation, he said he was not aware of reports about TVK joining the NDA or about actor Trisha meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He added that there was no issue in NDA seat-sharing talks and that decisions would be arrived at through discussions within the available time, while dismissing as baseless claims that the BJP was threatening Vijay.
