Madurai (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 14 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s candidate from Madurai South constituency, Rama Srinivasan, on Monday campaigned in the Vandiyur area ahead of the state assembly elections.
Srinivasan highlighted what he described as serious gaps in civil infrastructure in Madurai, alleging a lack of effective civic administration and coordination.
He said improving waste management and underground drainage would be his top priority, adding that he had discussed funding requirements for the "Clean Madurai" project with Union Minister Piyush Goyal.
Tamil Nadu will go to the polls in a single phase on April 23, covering a total of 234 constituencies in the State. Counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.
Speaking to ANI, Srinivasan said, "There is a serious lack of civil infrastructure in Madurai... There is no cooperation, mayor, or democratic proceedings. My first priority is to restore the civic sense of the cooperation... We will improve the waste management system and underwater drainage system, for which I have talked to Union Minister Piyush Goyal, and we will ensure that under the leadership of PM Modi, Madurai will get funding for the clean Madurai project."
Responding to Chief Minister MK Stalin's "Tamil Nadu vs Delhi" remarks, Srinivasan questioned the narrative, asserting that Tamil Nadu and the Centre cannot be viewed as separate entities and stressing that the state is integral to the country.
"Do you think Tamil Nadu and Delhi are 2 separate entities?... Without Tamil Nadu, India is incomplete; they are like skin and flesh... DMK don't believe in the constitution, integrity and culture and tradition of the country," he said.
A day earlier, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin asserted that the DMK would defeat the NDA alliance in the upcoming Assembly elections, vowing that the "Tamil Nadu team" would prevail over the "Delhi team."
Addressing a public meeting on Monday in Ranipet district, Stalin alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was raising the issue of delimitation to divert attention from pressing concerns such as LPG shortages and the depreciation of the Indian rupee against the US dollar.
The main contest is expected between the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, which includes the Indian National Congress, DMDK and VCK, and the National Democratic Alliance led by AIADMK with BJP and PMK as allies.
Actor-turned-politician Vijay is also set to make his electoral debut with his party TVK, which could turn the contest into a three-way fight.
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