BJP former Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai on Saturday criticised what he called “vehicle politics”, saying politics is not about sitting on a vehicle and waving to people. Speaking during election campaigning in Karaikudi, Sivaganga district, he took aim at a recent roadshow where, he alleged, a leader did not stop to address the public.
Annamalai said an MLA should listen to people’s problems and make every effort to resolve them. He accused the Congress of allowing “one family” to dominate Karaikudi, and questioned what the Chidambaram family had delivered for Karaikudi and Sivaganga.
He also mocked a claim repeatedly made over the years about inaugurating ATMs during a previous tenure as finance minister, arguing that Karaikudi must move to the next stage of development. He urged voters to support growth and criticised the family for seeking votes without, in his view, doing enough for the public.
Referring to K Kamaraj, Annamalai said leaders should share people’s hardships and be with them in the heat, not remain on top of vehicles. He appealed to young voters, citing large numbers of first-time and under-29 voters in this election, and said his campaign was focused on “change”.
He further alleged that the DMK’s election manifesto was a “cut, copy, paste” of its previous one.
