KANNIYAKUMARI: Congress candidate for Kanniyakumari Lok Sabha seat Vijay Vasanth is all set to kickstart his campaigning from Monday. Speaking to reporters in Nagercoil on Sunday, Vasanth said that he will be joined by the party's top leadership, national chief Mallikajun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi, apart from TNCC chief K Selvaperunthagai, and alliance partners Kanimozhi Karunanidhi and Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin.
Saying that BJP had stalled many development projects in the district, Vasanth highlighted that his priorities include generating employment opportunities, and catapulting the tourism sector to a global standard, if brought to power. He added that he would push for laws to prevent transportation of minerals to other states.
Vasanth had stepped into his late father and former Kanniyakumari MP H Vasanthakumar's shoes, following the latter's demise. After emerging victorious in the 2021 by-election, Vasanth said that he had taken measures to expedite works on the four-way lane and pushed for the railway doubling works. He further said that he had personally conducted job camps and provided employment to over 5,000 youth. Vasanth further claimed that he had also spent his MP salary to provide for the education of poor students.
Minister T Mano Thangaraj, who was also present during the media interaction, said that only the central government has the authority to stop mining of minerals in Kanniyakumari district, and their transportation to other states. The minister further noted that only five quarries were being operated in the district, following court orders, and that minerals from these quarries were not transported to other states. Nagercoil Mayor R Mahesh, functionaries of the Congress, DMK, CPM, VCK, and other alliance parties were also present.