April 6, 2014
COIMBATORE: In his first election rally of the season outside Chennai, former chief Minister and DMK supremo M Karunanidhi decided to touch an emotional chord with the voters here as he proclaimed that the 2014 Lok Sabha election could be his final poll outing.
April 6, 2014
COIMBATORE: In his first election rally of the season outside Chennai, former chief Minister and DMK supremo M Karunanidhi decided to touch an emotional chord with the voters here as he proclaimed that the 2014 Lok Sabha election could be his final poll outing.
"Tamil Nadu as of now looks like a no man's political land where anyone could come and establish their clout. They should be taught a lesson. We should resist them like we did during the anti-Hindi struggle in the past," Karunanidhi said.
Addressing a public meeting at VOC ground on late Saturday evening, the veteran of many electoral battles quickly added that he could go on for another 50 years if DMK's political relevance is reinstated in the state.
Unlike AIADMK supremo who has refused to mention BJP or its prime minister nominee Narendra Modi in her campaign rallies, the DMK chief came down heavily on both BJP and Modi. People of Tamil Nadu should make leaders like Modi realize that they have no relevance in the state, he said. "Tamil Nadu as of now looks like a no man's political land where anyone could come and establish their clout. They should be taught a lesson. We should resist them like we did during the anti-Hindi struggle in the past," Karunanidhi, 89, told a large gathering of nearly 50,000 people.
Karunanidhi, who arrived in the city on Saturday evening, was flanked by his wife Rajaathi Ammal and DMK candidates, A Raja (Nilgiris), K Ganesh Kumar (Coimbatore) and Pongalur N Palanisamy (Pollachi), on the podium.
Surprisingly, Karunanidhi chose to remain mum on the present AIADMK rule in the state till the end and made just a solitary remark against Jayalalithaa, citing that she had massive corruption charges pending against her before concluding his address. "Jayalalithaa is facing corruption charges to the tune of Rs 5000 before a Bangalore court. Public should teach her a lesson in this election and she should not be allowed to amass crores of assets in the future. DMK is the only option before the people of Tamil Nadu to be freed from political slavery and if this is not utilized properly then you will have no option but to face the consequences and this is my curse," said Karunanidhi, ending the speech on an emotional note.
The DMK leader, however, sidestepped mention of issues including 2G spectrum sale scam and the rift between his sons, M K Stalin and M K Alagiri. Former Union minister and the main accused in 2G spectrum, A Raja addressed the gathering and claimed that he was framed in the case for political gain. "I have been accused of getting kickbacks to the tune of Rs 3,000 crore in the 2G scam. But so far neither the Income Tax department nor the enforcement wing sleuths have managed to seize or secure any documents proving this allegation. I was framed due to political reasons," said Raja.
Courtesy: The Hindu
