Campaigns for the party candidates in Coimbatore and the Nilgiris

The people of Tamil Nadu are determined to vote the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) out of power. It’s government will fall if the AIADMK fails to win even eight out of the 18 Assembly seats for which byelections are to be held along with polls for the Lok Sabha constituencies, Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam deputy general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran said in Coimbatore on Tuesday.

Campaigning for his party’s Coimbatore Lok Sabha seat nominee N.R. Appathurai, Mr. Dhinakaran sought to point out that while this was the situation on the ground in the State, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam were misleading the people through their election campaign.

Mr. Dhinakaran assailed the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance Government at the Centre for its economic policies, stating that the Goods and Services Tax pushed the industries in the Kongu region towards closure.

Campaigning for the Nilgiris Lok Sabha nominee M. Ramasamy in Udhagamandalam, Mr. Dinakaran promised to get the Badaga population in the Nilgiris designated under the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe category if the AMMK nominee won.

He also promised a solution for the issues faced by people living under Section 17 of the Gudalur Janmam Estates (Abolition and Conversion of Ryotwari) Act. “We also have detailed plans to prevent human-animal conflicts leading to loss of life and property,” he said.

Speaking to reporters on the Income Tax raid at Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam treasurer S. Durai Murugan’s house, he said IT raids were being orchestrated by the government to target Opposition parties, their candidates and workers.

The Pollachi sexual abuse case, and the recent rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl in Coimbatore, pointed at the lack of strong governance in the State, Mr. Dhinakaran said.

The AMMK leader alleged that in the Pollachi case, the police were trying to shield persons who were close to politicians from the ruling AIADMK.

On Congress president Rahul Gandhi deciding to contest from Wayanad in Kerala, Mr. Dhinakaran said it showed that the so-called united coalition against the Bharatiya Janata Party was falling apart.