Tamil Nadu BJP president Nainar Nagendran stated on Saturday that Narendra Modi is set to visit Coimbatore to campaign for Bharatiya Janata Party candidates ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. He also alleged there is “confusion” between the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Indian National Congress (INC) in the state.
Speaking to reporters in Udhagamandalam, Nainar Nagendran claimed that despite active campaigning, senior Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi have neither campaigned vigorously nor publicly supported Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin.
He further alleged that several welfare schemes presented by the state government are actually funded by the Centre but projected as state initiatives. According to him, essential commodities distributed through fair price shops and housing schemes are largely supported by the central government.
Defending the proposed women’s reservation measure, Nagendran said the state government tends to oppose initiatives introduced by the Centre. He emphasized that a 33 percent reservation for women is a positive step and warned that opposing it could lead to backlash from women voters.
Criticising the DMK leadership, he accused the party of promoting dynastic politics, alleging that Chief Minister Stalin is positioning Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin as his successor. He claimed this reflects “family rule” and suggested that the state’s resources are being concentrated within a single family.
Nagendran also supported a proposal to increase Tamil Nadu’s parliamentary representation from 39 to 59 seats, arguing that it would improve governance and public service delivery. He added that debates around the proposal are unrelated to ongoing elections.
Responding to remarks by actor-politician Joseph Vijay on electoral competition, Nagendran described the comments as “very unfortunate.”
(With inputs from ANI)