Team News Riveting
Chennai, April 10
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday came to the defence of Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai after “joker” jibe by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader, Dayanidhi Maran.
Addressing an election rally in Mettupalayam in Coimbatore, Modi said insulting words were used against the BJP leader and it reflected the character of the ruling party in the state. “Arrogance is against the great culture of Tamil Nadu,” he added.
The Prime Minister said those practising family politics stop young leaders from moving forward. “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,” he 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.
In an interview with a news channel, former Union Minister and senior DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran sought to dismiss the challenge posed by Annamalai in the Lok Sabha polls 2024. “Who’s that? Oh, the joker, you are talking about the joker. Are you overestimating, he is a lame-duck,” he commented while responding to a question about the fear of Annamalai and if he is the rising star of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Annamalai is fighting the Lok Sabha polls from Coimbatore. DMK has fielded Ganapathy P Rajkumar against him. Maran is contesting Lok Sabha polls from Chennai Central.
All the 39 seats in Tamil Nadu will vote in a single phase on April 19 in Lok Sabha elections 2024 that will be held in seven phases. Votes will be counted on June 4.
The DMK-led alliance had swept the Lok Sabha polls in 2019 in Tamil Nadu by winning 38 of 39 seats.
