No state cooperation on NH projects, Annamalai counters CM

CHENNAI: BJP state president K Annamalai criticised Chief Minister MK Stalin for his charges against the ruling party at the Centre. He listed out ongoing projects funded by the Union government in Tamil Nadu and justified Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari’s comments in the Parliament that lack of cooperation from the state government is delaying the road projects.

Rebutting the DMK president and CM Stalin’s remark against Gadkari, Annamalai posted a series of tweets stating that the TN government did not take concrete measures to ease the NH works in the state, but it demands for expedition of work.

He took to social media to counter the Chief Minister’s statement that “the condition of the road is so bad” and it forced him to prefer train travel to Ranipet and Vellore for review of government projects. The CM appealed to the Union Minister to improve the road condition between Chennai and Ranipet.

Calling the CM’s statement as “haphazard response,” he said the Centre has taken 2,414 km length of highway under Bharathmala scheme. It excluded the Chennai-Salem Expressway project that the DMK protested while in opposition.

He also pointed out the Rs 5,877 crore road projects, including Chennai Port- Maduravoyal elevated expressway project, have been taken under Gati Shakthi.

He pointed out that the NHAI threatened to foreclose four Highway projects in December 2021 due to lack of support from the state government, while it decided to drop the Rs 3,000 crore ECR expansion project due to a delay by the state government to provide no objection certificate.

“The slow progress of National Highways in Tamil Nadu is a serious issue that the state government seems clueless about and now stand exposed,” said Annamalai.

Chennai: BJP state president K Annamalai on Tuesday wrote to the Chief Election Commissioner of India to take measures to ensure free and fair elections in Erode East Constituency. Annamalai, in the letter, pointed out that they released an audio clip of DMK Minister KN Nehru and candidate of DMK alliance EVKS Elangovan discussing about money distribution, the modalities, the distribution centre and deadline to get money distributed.

The same has been submitted to the State Election Commissioner and requested immediate action in this regard. He claimed that DMK members distributed 2 kg of mutton to each voter as a bribe and also distributed cash to electorates to sit in a designated place daily and Rs 5,000 as an incentive if the voter continues this for 20 days.

It is done deliberately to dampen the election canvassing of the NDA candidate in Erode East, he said.

Annamalai also pointed out to the seizure of tokens from the car of a DMK south union treasurer Sarbudeen on February 11 and said, “The State Election Commission is yet to take action against the complaint submitted by the BJP and has done nothing significant to stop the ruling DMK government from the blatant abuse of power.”