Ahead of the elections, Bharatiya Janata Party Tamil Nadu chief K Annamalai is giving back-to-back setbacks to the saffron party. In the latest, he alleged that the politics of the state is heavily influenced by money and added that he has joined politics to work honestly.
The state BJP chief’s statement came during the inauguration of the Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam program held in Chennai. Union ministers Anurag Thakur and Mansukh Mandaviya were also present on the occasion.
tired of money politics
Seeing the influence of huge amount of money during the elections in Tamil Nadu, the BJP leader said that he is fed up with this kind of politics. He said, “I have started deciding that I should live in good and clean politics. If I need to change myself for the current politics then I do not want to live in such politics.”
Annamalai said that at present no one can contest elections in the state without paying money. “Personally and as a BJP cadre and as the state BJP president, I do not wish to face such elections,” he said.
‘The level of influence of money in Tamil Nadu elections is becoming untenable, we cannot hold elections like this. Decades of pampering voters with money and gifts may not bring clean governance. He also suggested that politics should be without the influence of money. Otherwise there will be no change in Tamil Nadu in 1,000 years.”
Annamalai lost all his savings
Noting the assembly polls in Aravakurichi constituency, in which the BJP leader lost, he said he lost his savings of nine years [used in poll campaigning],
Annamalai said, “I lost my savings of nine years during the Aravakurichi election. After the election, I am in debt.” He also said that it costs around Rs 80 crore to Rs 120 crore to contest the Lok Sabha elections in the state. “I am not saying that all parties are giving money, but it does not reflect clean politics,” he said.
(with inputs from agencies)