TIRUNELVELI: Responding to DMK President MK Stalin for his ‘rowdy’ remark against him, Nanguneri AIADMK candidate V Narayanan termed the Leader of Opposition, his brother MK Azhagiri and son-in-law as “rowdies” here on Thursday.
Speaking to media persons amid his campaign in Palayamkottai Union, Narayanan said, “Stalin is free to say that I am facing criminal cases but only after getting a report from the city police to corroborate his claim. Whatever Stalin is saying is a lie. Four cases were registered against me and I was freed from all the four that were foisted falsely when DMK was in power. I am practising Ayya Vazhi; I give things to others and don’t grab anything from them. My hands are clean and I will win by a huge margin in Nanguneri polls.”
Stalin, during his campaign in several places of Nanguneri constituency, alleged that AIADMK candidate has a criminal background, and branded him as a rowdy. He said AIADMK candidate was facing cases for crimes such as land grabbing. He also alleged that Narayanan was holding kangaroo courts.
Minister hits out at Stalin
Minister Sellur K Raju, who accompanied Narayanan, charged that Stalin was the most corrupt person. “What was Stalin’s financial status during his father’s early days? How DMK leaders amassed wealth and are running colleges? It was the DMK government that got dismissed for its corruption,” he hit back.
He accused Stalin of grabbing a plot from an elderly man to construct a house in Velachery. “Stalin negotiated with that elderly man after the latter filed a land-grabbing case against him when the late chief minister Jayalalitha was in office,” he said.
Raju said DMK had waived off cooperative loans only to benefit the rich. “Stalin was wrong when he said in his campaign that Karunanidhi had waived off Rs 7,000 crore of agriculture loan. It was only Rs 3,773 crore. DMK government had waived off loans worth Rs 1,800 crore obtained by those who bought lorries and tractors using the amount. For instance, a Rs 90 lakh loan obtained by a family was waived off during DMK’s term in office. Was not that taxpayers’ money?” Raju asked.