Tamil Nadu Minister for Industries TRB Rajaa said that his party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) will only respond to questions raised by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), which is the main Opposition party. “We cannot lose our focus by focusing on ‘sundry’ parties,” the Minister said while speaking to reporters on Monday, March 25.
Rajaa, who is also the DMK in-charge of the Coimbatore parliamentary constituency, said that his party will secure a massive win in Coimbatore and ensure that the other parties lose their deposit money. Polling in Tamil Nadu is scheduled to be held on April 19 – the first of the seven phases of the Lok Sabha election – and counting will be held on June 4.
Rajaa also responded to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state chief K Annamalai’s statement that the BJP will not spend money for this election. “All DMK Ministers will be here and spend hundreds of crores in Coimbatore. This Annamalai is saying today, I will not give even a single rupee for votes…. BJP is not going to spend any money this time. I have become the candidate with the vow that this should be the election with the least expense in the history of Tamilagam,” Annamalai had said.
When asked about this, Rajaa said, “The Election Commission has a limit for expenditure for a candidate. When party workers and friends come for election work, we buy them refreshments like tea and coffee. We have people who come, so we have expenses. But since nobody is coming for the BJP, they may not have any expenses.”
Rajaa further added that they have to form a strategy to emerge victorious with the opposition party in mind, which is the AIADMK, and cannot lose focus by concentrating on ‘smaller’ parties.
DMK’s candidate Ganapathy P Rajkumar will face AIADMK’s G Ramachandran, BJP’s Annamalai, and Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) candidate Kalamani in the Coimbatore constituency.