Chennai, Mar 22:
Tamil Nadu’s main opposition AIADMK released its final list of 16 candidates for the Lok Sabha polls and also named its candidate for the lone Puducherry Parliamentary constituency.
The AIADMK has completed the exercise of naming nominees and allotting seats to allies, and party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami is all set to launch his election campaign from Tiruchirappalli on March 24.
In total, the AIADMK will contest in 32 segments and it has allotted seven constituencies to allies, the DMDK, Puthiya Tamizhagam and SDPI. Tamil Nadu has 39 Lok Sabha constituencies. Speaking to media Palaniswami justified the selection of mostly newcomers for the Lok Sabha election.
“What is wrong with that?” he retorted when asked by a journalist that the list of 33 candidates including one in Puducherry contained the names of lesser known faces.
To another question why juniors were preferred to seniors generally, Palaniswami replied that there was no “senior-junior” status in politics. He recalled that Jayalalithaa had given him opportunities to serve the party when he was a branch secretary. Ability to win, loyalty to the organisation, hard work and services to people were the factors considered while choosing the nominees.
On not fielding any Muslim, he said that one seat had been given to the Social Democratic Party of India. Moreover, his party believed in the concept – “all are equal.”
On the searches by the Enforcement Directorate at the residence of former Minister C. Vijayabaskar, the AIADMK leader said this would be faced legally. He recalled that in the past, there had been searches by the Income Tax department and the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption. Also, the party, when led by M.G. Ramachandan and Jayalalithaa had encountered several challenges and overcame them successfully. “This time too, we will be successful,” he pointed out.
He questioned the feasibility of the DMK’s electoral promise of reducing the prices of petrol and diesel to Rs.75 and Rs.65 per litre, and said that the ruling party had not even fully fulfilled its assurance, given at the time of Assembly election three years ago, of lowering the price of petrol, let alone diesel.
Asked whether he was silent in his criticism of the BJP, Palaniswami answered that it was not part of his party’s culture to abuse a party after cutting ties with the other. However, “when injustice is meted out to Tamil Nadu, we will certainly raise our voice,” he added.
Tiruvallur (SC), Central Chennai, Cuddalore, Thanjavur and Virudhunagar are the five seats earmarked for the DMDK.
Two other allies, the Puthiya Tamizhagam (Tenkasi) and SDPI (Dindigul) will fight one seat each. The All India Forward Bloc also supports the AIADMK alliance.
Elections to 39 Lok Sabha seats in the state will be held on April 19.
