Chennai:

Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president K Annamalai on Sunday lashed out at Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin for making another promise — a state-of-the-art cricket stadium in Coimbatore.

Responding to Mr Stalin’s announcement, Mr Annamalai termed the announcement an “electoral stunt” and reminded him that the DMK must first fulfill its 511 poll promises before making new ones. He said that the DMK was making this promise, sensing a defeat in the Coimbatore constituency.

“We want to remind TN CM Thiru MK Stalin that the 511 poll promises he gave in 2021 remain unfulfilled, and he first attends to those before making further promises after sensing defeat,” Mr Annamalai said on X.

He said that the electoral stunts of DMK cannot deceive the youth and the sports enthusiasts in Coimbatore, as they have grown increasingly vigilant.

“DMK is a party that couldn’t Construct a New Bus Terminus in Coimbatore in the last 3 years; it is today promising a stadium that should be regarded as the joke of the year and deserves slow clapping from the people of Coimbatore,” added Mr Annamalai.

We want to remind TN CM Thiru @mkstalin that the 511 poll promises he gave in 2021 remain unfulfilled, and he first attends to those before making further promises after sensing defeat.

The electoral stunts of DMK cannot deceive the youth & the sports enthusiasts in Coimbatore… https://t.co/8Qpr0fVzmz

— K.Annamalai (மோடியின் குடும்பம்) (@annamalai_k) April 7, 2024

Notably, Mr Annamalai is contesting from the Coimbatore Lok Sabha seat and his comment came in response to the recent promise made by Mr Stalin as part of his party’s (DMK) election manifesto for Lok Sabha Elections, in which he promised the construction of a state-of-the-art cricket stadium in Coimbatore.

On March 28, Mr Annamalai filed his nomination from the Coimbatore parliamentary constituency.

A Karnataka cadre IPS officer, Mr Annamalai, resigned from service in 2019 and joined the BJP in 2020. He was appointed BJP state president a year late.

Sharing a post by state Minister of Industries TRB Rajaa on X, Mr Stalin, the DMK chief, said, “As a sports and cricket enthusiast, I would like to add one more promise to our election manifesto for Elections 2024. We will take efforts to establish a state-of-the-art cricket stadium in Coimbatore, with the active participation of the sports loving people of Coimbatore. As highlighted by our Minister TRB Rajaa, this stadium aims to be Tamil Nadu’s second international-standard cricket venue after Chennai’s iconic MAC stadium. Our government and Sports Minister Udhay Stalin are committed to nurturing talent and enhancing sports infrastructure in Tamil Nadu.”

As a sports and cricket enthusiast, I would like to add one more promise to our election manifesto for #Elections2024:

We will take efforts to establish a state-of-the-art cricket stadium in Coimbatore, with the active participation of the sports loving people of… https://t.co/B6rpHJKSBI

— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) April 7, 2024

Minister TRB Rajaa highlighted in his post that Coimbatore and the state of Tamil Nadu need a major boost in sports infrastructure.

“Dreaming Big for Tamil Nadu Cricket! In the past few days, as we campaigned across Coimbatore, we’ve met many young people with deep passion for sports. Coimbatore’s enthusiasm for varied sports, including, Athletics, Shooting, Car Racing, Football, Skating, Equestrian sports amongst others and especially cricket, is unmatched. It is home to the owners of 3 TNPL teams, and many of the growing national cricket stars are from Western Tamil Nadu,” he said.

Mr Rajaa said that this stadium will redefine cricketing standards globally by being the most sustainably built state-of-the-art stadium in the world.

“It could be a net zero stadium, which will not only boost our local cricket ecosystem, to which we will add small turf grounds, but also serve as a beacon of green innovation, water-conservation and climate-consciousness We respectfully request our Honourable Chief Minister MK Stalin avargal to bring this landmark sports infra to life, setting a new global benchmark and nurturing our rich sports talent ,” he added.

He also said that Coimbatore and all of Tamil Nadu need a major boost in sports infrastructure.

“That’s exactly what our Honourable Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Thiru Udhay Stalin has been building up over the past year ! Given the amazing talents that are available in and around Kovai and the genuine need for another World-class Cricket Stadium in TN, I request the Honourable Chief Minister Thiru MK Stalin avargal to establish a brand new world-class multipurpose Coimbatore International Cricket Stadium or CICS,” he added.

Coimbatore is one of the key constituencies in Tamil Nadu. The DMK has fielded Ganapathi P Kumar while the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) has nominated Singai Ramachandran to contest from Coimbatore.

All 39 seats of Tamil Nadu will poll in the first phase of the general elections on April 19 and the counting of votes, along with those from other phases, has been scheduled for June 4.

In 2019, the DMK swept the Lok Sabha polls in the state, winning 23 Lok Sabha seats and bagging the lion’s share of the total votes polled, at 33.2 per cent.

Its ruling ally, Congress, bagged 8 seats, mining 12.9 per cent of the total votes polled, while the CPI won two seats. CPI (M) and IUML won one seat each while the remaining two seats went to independents.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Chennai:

Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai on Friday termed as ‘speculations’, him contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha polls but said he will abide by any decision the party takes.

The former IPS officer said he had no “personal prejudice or any likes and dislikes in BJP.” “Whatever the party tells me I have to obey, that is the nature of the party. Today the party has asked me to complete the state level yatra (En Manna En Makkal) and we have just finished that,” he told reporters here.

He said the BJP has “given me some responsibility” to ensure the growth of the party in the state and he was doing that.

Apparently referring to the upcoming Lok Sabha contest, he said, “tomorrow morning if the party tells me, do that, I will do that.” “I am not going to respond to speculations. Whatever our senior national leadership decides, my duty is to obey and make sure it is implemented on the ground,” the state BJP chief added.

To a question on Udhayanidhi’s strident criticism of BJP, indicating it could hardly make any impact in the elections, Mr Annamalai said the state minister is a “failed actor,” referring to the DMK leader’s cinema stint.

Mr Udhayanidhi was in politics “with his grandfather (the late M Karunanidhi) and father’s (MK Stalin) name…what social service has he done…did he help the poor?” Mr Annamalai asked.

To a question on the TN BJP greeting Stalin in ‘Chinese’ on his birthday, Mr Annamalai said he did not find anything offensive about it.

“On behalf of @bjptnmediacell, here’s wishing our Honourable CM Thiru @mkstalin avargal a happy birthday in his favourite language! May he live a long and healthy life!” it said, with an image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP leaders including JP Nadda and Annamalai, besides that of the TN CM with some message in what seemed to be in Chinese.

It appeared to an apparent dig at the recent controversy over a ‘China flag’ in a DMK advertisement issued in connection with an ISRO launch complex coming up in the state.

Asked about this, Mr Annamalai said DMK leader and MP “Kanimozhi said China is not an enemy country. So, what’s wrong in wishing our Chief Minister in Chinese. That is what our IT wing people have done. I don’t find anything offensive,” Mr Annamalai added.

At a rally in Tirunelveli on Wednesday, PM Modi strongly criticised the DMK for being ‘oblivious’ to the nation’s achievements in space sector, after the newspaper advertisement by a state minister on the spaceport kicked up a row over what the BJP claimed had a ‘Chinese flag’.

The Tamil Nadu BJP had then alleged that in an advertisement in a daily the DMK used ‘Chinese flag’ and ‘Chinese language’ to claim credit for bringing the new ISRO complex at Kulasekarapattinam, located near Thoothukudi in the state.

On Thursday, DMK leader and Fisheries Minister Anitha R Radhakrishnan who issued the advertisement had said it was a gaffe by the designer.

The minister, who had given the advertisement on behalf of his party, stressed that it was only a mistake and they (DMK) had no other intentions.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Chennai:

Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President K Annamalai’s Padha Yathra which was scheduled for October 6 has been postponed due to his illness, party leaders said on Wednesday.

According to the state BJP officials, the date for Annamalai’s Padha Yathra scheduled for October 6 has been postponed to October 16.

“This is to certify that Thiru. Annamalai visited Gleneagles Global Health City on 3 October 2023 late evening with complaints of cough, breathing difficulty, throat pain, body ache and fatigue. He was evaluated by a Pulmonologist thoroughly and a high-resolution CT Scan of the chest was also performed in addition to other relevant investigations,” a statement of Gleneagles Global Health City hospital shared by Tamil BJP said.

“The CT Scan showed nodules in the basal segment of the left lung. The provisional diagnosis of the doctor is Lower Respiratory Tract Infection of Viral etiology with bronchospasm. He was given some medications to relieve the acute symptoms and sent back home with vitals stable. He has been prescribed medications for 5 days and has been asked to come for review at the end of 5 days. He has been prescribed bed rest for a period of two weeks for recovery,” it added.

Earlier on Monday, Annamalai called on Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Delhi. “Shri @annamalai_k, State President – @BJP4TamilNadu, calls on Smt @nsitharaman,” Sitharaman’s office said in a post on ‘X’.

Ms Sitharaman will be in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore on Tuesday for some pre-planned meeting, Mr Annamalai said in a post on ‘X’ after the meeting. The state BJP chief submitted memorandums to seek her intervention on requests from industries in Tamil Nadu.

“Had the opportunity to meet our Hon FM Smt @nsitharaman avl today and submitted various memorandums seeking her kind intervention on requests from industries in TN. Our Hon FM has always been very supportive and considerate of the issues TN industries face. She will be in Coimbatore tomorrow to attend various pre-planned meetings,” Mr Annamalai posted on ‘X’.

The meeting comes a week after the BJP lost a major ally in Tamil Nadu when the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) snapped ties with the saffron party on September 25. The AIADMK apparently holds Annamalai responsible for the souring of ties between the two parties.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Chennai:

Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai on Thursday launched a scathing attack on DMK and equated the party’s name with “Dengue Malaria Kosu”.

Reacting to the remarks made by Udhayanidhi Stalin on eradicating Sanatan Dharma, K Annamalai took to X (former Twitter) and said, “If something needs eradication from Tamil Nadu, it is the DMK. D – Dengue M – Malaria K – Kosu Going forward, we are sure that people will associate these deadly diseases with DMK.”

K Annamalai targeted Tamil Nadu MK Stalin for defending his son Udhayanidhi over his Sanatan Dharma remarks.

“Sanatan Dharma predates any religion. It states that Human beings are gods, and it talks about living beings being gods. When one human brings discrimination in Sanatan Dharma another human comes and reforms. That is why we have Swami Dayanand Saraswati and Swami Sahajananda. So ill effects were brought by humans and were reformed. But your son wants to eradicate it. It shows what understanding you (MK Stalin) and your son has got about Sanatan Dharma,” he said.

Earlier today Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday said that it was unfair for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “make comments without knowing what Udhayanidhi spoke” on the ‘Sanatana Dharma’.

“While speaking at a Sanatan Eradication Conference in Chennai organised by the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers and Artists Association, Udhayanidhi Stalin expressed certain comments about inhuman principles preached by Sanatan. He expressed his views on Sanatan principles that discriminate against Scheduled Castes, Tribals, and Women, with no intention to offend any religion or religious beliefs,” Mr Stalin wrote.

“Many leaders in our Indian subcontinent, such as Thanthal Periyar, Mahatma Phule, Babasaheb Ambedkar, Narayana Guru, Vallalaar and Valkuntar, have spoken out against regressive Varnasrama – Manuvad – Sanatan ideologies, which justify discrimination based on one’s birth and the oppression of women. As an extension of that lineage, ideological arguments continue to resonate all over India against the justification of denying equal rights to the oppressed and women and exploiting them. Social scientists are well aware of this,” Mr Stalin added.

Udhayanidhi’s remark on Sanatan Dharma has sparked massive controversy across the nation. Several BJP leaders and Hindu priests have strongly criticised his statement. The BJP has demanded an apology from MK Stalin’s son. Leaders from the saffron party have also blamed the INDIA bloc for Udhayanidhi’s remark, claiming such an agenda was discussed during the recent meeting that was held in Mumbai.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Madurai:

Droupadi Murmu, who belongs to a tribal community, was made the President and first citizen of the country and that is Sanatan Dharma, the Tamil Nadu BJP said on Wednesday.

Seeking to rebut DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Youth Welfare Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s accusation that Ms Murmu had not been invited to the new Parliament building’s recent inauguration and that showed Sanatan’s “discriminatory” practice, state BJP president K Annamalai wondered why the DMK did not vote for her.

“Why the DMK did not vote in support of her in the Presidential election?” he questioned.

Asserting that all castes are equal, he said, to counter the DMK and for the sake of argument, he was asking Tamil Nadu’s ruling party about the candidate it supported.

“You (DMK) voted for Yashwant Sinha (against Murmu); to which community does he belong?” Annamalai asked during his interaction with reporters at Srivilliputhur near here.

“We the people of the country made her the President and that is Sanatan Dharma; why did you not vote in her favour?” he said.

The BJP leader also questioned if the DMK voted in favour of Ram Nath Kovind from the Scheduled Castes community.

“We, the believers of Sanatan Dharma, voted for him as we believe that all are equal. Learn about Sanatan Dharma from us and Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he added.

On Tuesday, Udhayanidhi Stalin, asked by reporters to give an “example” to Sanatan’s discriminatory practices that he opposed, said the “best example is Droupadi Murmu not being invited to the inauguration of the new Parliament building, that is the best current example”.

Even if Udhayanidhi had spoken about “eradicating” any other religion, his party’s would have been the first voice against it, Mr Annamalai said. Similarly, he was opposing Udhayanidhi’s comment against Sanatan Dharma, he added.

The BJP leader said for decades, the DMK has been levelling the very same allegations and making foolish accusations.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Chennai:

Tamil Nadu BJP leader K Annamalai on Sunday said that Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is the abode of corruption adding that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has forgotten that accusing other parties of corruption will make the public laugh. 

Reacting to the remarks made by CM Stalin on Sunday that CAG in its reports has exposed multiple corruption made by BJP, K Annamalai said, “DMK is the abode of corruption. Chief Minister Stalin has blatantly lied that seven types of corruption in the central government have been exposed by the CAG report. The question arises whether the Chief Minister has ever read the CAG report before.”

“In the CAG report, apart from the fact that the expenditure on the construction of the highway has increased, Chief Minister Stalin should explain where the words such as corruption, malpractice, fraud or allotment of contract to certain persons for the Dwarka Expressway as mentioned by the Chief Minister,” he added. 

K Annamalai further stated that CAG in its report has mentioned that the reason for the increase in the cost of constructing the Dwarka Expressway is due to the change in the design plans of the project.

“CAG report itself states that out of the 14-lane highway, 8 lanes have been converted into flyovers and 6 lanes have been converted into expressways,” he said. 

He further claimed that DMK ministers are involved in the smuggling of Tamil Nadu’s mineral resources and sending them to Kerala.

“What action has the Chief Minister taken so far against those who are stealing mineral resources without helping the development work of the state?” he said. 

On MK Stalin’s allegations that there is corruption in the Ayushman Bharat scheme, K Annamalai said, “Even saying malpractice in Ayushman Bharat scheme is like spitting at the sky. He has read the slip without even knowing that if the accounts of many people are linked with the same number, the state government is also responsible for correcting it.”

“Central Government has ensured a new technology to prevent the recurrence of technical errors like linking of multiple accounts with the same number. However, it is the responsibility of the state governments to correct the fake accounts that have already been linked. After failing to do that, Chief Minister Stalin has spoken without understanding that the central government is corrupt,” he added. 

He further stated that the people of the country will not forget the CAG report on the 2G scam and the role of a DMK in it. 

“The CAG report on the 2G scam had all the words corruption, malpractice, fraud and loss to the government. DMK is the symbol of corruption. People will never accept the vain blaming of the Narendra Modi-led central government,” he said. 

Earlier Union Health Ministry on August 17 said that the recommendations made by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in its performance audit report on the Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan ArogyaYojana (AB-PMJAY) were being examined. 

CAG tabled a performance audit report in the Lok Sabha on August 7 on the operationalisation of the AB-PMJAY scheme in hospitals.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)