Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) Sulur assembly constituency candidate Sukumaran asserted confidence in the victory of the party in the upcoming Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election and accused AIADMK and DMK of "misleading people". Upon his arrival in Coimbatore by flight from Chennai, Sukumaran received an enthusiastic welcome from party workers.
Speaking to reporters, Sukumaran highlighted several longstanding issues in the Sulur constituency, including the struggles of powerloom workers who are unable to pay electricity bills; the desilting of the Sulur lake, which has reportedly not been maintained for over 20 years; and the need for the restoration of the Noyyal river. He assured us that necessary steps would be taken to address these concerns.
Expressing confidence, he said his chances of victory are "bright" and added that TVK is strong not only in Sulur but across all 234 constituencies in Tamil Nadu. He stated that while TVK is contesting independently, the DMK and AIADMK are entering the fray with alliances of 24 and 10 parties, respectively. "The fact that 34 parties have come together against TVK shows our strength," he remarked.
Sukumaran further claimed that Sulur is no longer a stronghold of the AIADMK, calling it a "falling bastion." He alleged that both Dravidian parties have been buying votes with money and misleading people for five years after the elections, forcing voters to struggle to reach their representatives. He said TVK was founded with the aim of eradicating corruption and claimed that people are now ready to support the party, having grown disillusioned with both major Dravidian parties.
Criticising the Election Commission, he alleged that adequate action is not being taken to curb the distribution of freebies.
Identifying himself as someone from a traditional DMK family, he claimed that honest individuals are not respected within the party and that corruption has increased, turning it into a "corporate structure".
Referring to political developments, he criticised DMK leader V Senthil Balaji for contesting from Coimbatore instead of Karur, drawing a comparison to remarks made earlier about K Annamalai. He added that Senthil Balaji lacks the credibility to criticise Annamalai and accused him of pursuing personal political growth over party interests. (ANI)
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