TN government must clarify stand on Pongal gift, hold bypoll: M K Stalin

Chennai: DMK president M. K. Stalin has called upon the State government to clarify its stand on the distribution of “cash support” and gift hampers for Pongal to the people of Tiruvarur Assembly constituency, as the Election Commission has allowed the distribution.

Contending that there was discord in the issue, he said while Governor Banwarilal Purohit in his address to the Assembly announced that “cash support” of Rs. 1,000 per family would be provided in addition to gift hampers for ration cardholders in the State except Tiruvarur, to celebrate the Pongal festival, the EC had allowed the distribution for the people affected by cyclone ‘Gaja’ in Tiruvarur Assembly constituency where a model code of conduct is in force due to by-election on Jan. 28.

“The government must first clarify its stand on the discord and then hold the by-election,” Mr. Stalin told reporters at the airport here on Saturday. In fact at the District Election Officer’s meeting in Tiruvarur on Saturday, DMK’s former MP A.K.S. Vijayan had conveyed the same to the DEO.

The DMK, he said, was not afraid of facing any election, that too in Tiruvarur the birthplace of Kalaignar (late Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi) who won twice from this constituency. Replying to a question he said, AMMK leader T. T. V. Dhinakaran might be afraid of facing the election as V. K. Sasikala is serving a sentence in Bengaluru jail and also because he is facing numerous cases including an allegation of bribing the election commission officials. “Even today, in his R. K. Nagar Assembly constituency he is not regarded as MLA but only as twenty rupee Dhinakaran,” Mr. Stalin slammed the AMMK leader.