COIMBATORE: A day after AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palniswami criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s roadshows, TN BJP president K Annamalai joined issue with him and said it was not a roadshow but ‘people darshan yatra’.
Addressing media persons on Thursday, Annamlai said “How many people would come if EPS holds a roadshow? If Palaniswami goes on a roadshow, people will not come to see him. Hence, they take people and make them sit in a tent and read what they have written and make people listen to it. But Prime Minister Modi comes to see the people and people come to see him. We call the roadshow a people darshan yatra.”
When asked about minister TRB Rajaa’s comments that BJP has several anti-social elements as members, he said, “Rajaa’s father sells liquor and those who kill hundreds of people through liquor sale are calling us anti-socials. It is comedy.”
Annamalai also said that a firm allegedly linked to the CM’s son-in-law had spent Rs 7.33 crore on advertisements for the DMK. The false narrative that was carefully built against the BJP in Tamil Nadu is being broken slowly and this election will demolish that narrative completely, he said, adding “people are waiting with neem leaves to drive away the demon of money politics in Coimbatore”.
Further, he alleged the state intelligence wing has been monitoring him. Referring to the phone-tapping incident in Telangana and the charges against police officers, Annamalai alleged that the same is being done in Tamil Nadu. He added that a surveillance team of the state police has been tracking his movements in Coimbatore and sending reports to TRB Rajaa and he passes it on to former minister Senthil Balaji who is in prison. “We will come back with all records and all those who were involved in the tapping should answer, after the change of government in the state.”
“I have no desire to become the CM and all I want to do is honest politics,” he added.