Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticized the DMK for its leader Dayanidhi Maran’s use of “insulting words” against Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai, stating that such remarks reflect the ruling party’s character in the state and asserting that, “arrogance is against the great culture of Tamil Nadu”.
Speaking at an election rally in Mettupalayam, Coimbatore, the Prime Minister remarked that the practice of family politics obstructs the progress of young leaders. “DMK is a party that is immersed in the arrogance of power. When a senior leader of DMK was asked about our young leader Annamalai, he said in arrogance ‘who is he, who is that’ and used insulting words. This arrogance is against Tamil Nadu’s great culture. The people of Tamil Nadu will never like this arrogance,” PM Modi said.
“For a former police officer, for a youth coming from a backward class, for someone who works so much at the ground level, the words that have been used by DMK, these are its real character. Those who do family politics stop young leaders from moving forward,” he added.
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In an interview with India Today, Dayanidhi Maran, a former Union Minister, sought to downplay the challenge presented by Annamalai in the Lok Sabha polls. “Who’s that? Oh, the joker, you are talking about the joker…Are you overestimating, he is a lame-duck,” Maran said.
He was questioned about the “fear of Annamali” and whether he is emerging as the BJP’s rising star. Annamalai is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Coimbatore, while the DMK has nominated Ganapathy P Rajkumar to compete against him. Maran, on the other hand, is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Chennai Central constituency.
All 39 seats in Tamil Nadu will go to polls in a single phase on April 19 during the Lok Sabha elections, which will be conducted in seven phases nationwide. Vote counting will take place on June 4. In 2019, the DMK-led alliance dominated the Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu, securing 38 out of 39 seats.
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