Vellore: With Vellore going for Lok Sabha elections in a few day, political parties in Tamilnadu began active campaigning in the constituency yesterday.
AIADMK chief and Tamilnadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami and DMK president MK Stalin traded accusations on one another. Issues of alleged use of money power for votes cropped up during the campaigns. Slamming Stalin for saying that AIADMK was responsible for cancellation of the polls in the constituency, Palaniswami said it was a lie and it was done so after huge amount of cash was seized from a DMK member in the district.
Palaniswami said in AIADMK, ordinary workers got the opportunity and they can even become the Chief Minister since there was no dynastic politics. He wanted to know if this was possible in the DMK.
“Even the DMK candidate for this Lok Sabha seat is a heir (of DMK Treasurer Duraimurugan). Similarly, after (DMK Patriarch) M Karunanidhi, Stalin and now (his son) Udhayanidhi. Only they can hold top posts,” Palaniswami said. “Aren’t there anyone who worked for the welfare party (to hold top posts)?” asked the Chief Minister.
AIADMK’s ally Puthiya Needhi Katchi chief A C Shanmugam is contesting on the ruling party’s two-leaves symbol from Vellore constituency. DMK’s D M Kathir Anand, son of senior leader Duraimurugan and 26 others are in the fray.
Hitting back at the CM for raising the issue of dynasty politics, Stalin while campaigning in Vaniyampadi said, “We all know how Panneerselvam’s son won the Theni district polls. I do not want to discuss about that now.” He further spoke about Minister D Jayakumar’s son J Jayavardhan and former AIADMK Mayor Rajan Chellappa’s son Rajan Sathya and their bid in the Lok Sabha polls held in April.
The election to the constituency that was to be held on 18 Appril was cancelled by Election Commission after seizure of huge amount of cash allegedly from an associate of a DMK leader.