: Urging voters to choose efficiency over corruption by voting for the PMK, party founder S. Ramadoss, on Friday, slammed the Election Commission for failing to curb the cash flow ahead the polls.
Addressing a press conference here, Mr. Ramadoss said innumerable instances of cash being distributed to voters have been reported in the last few days.
There were enough inputs to suggest that the two Dravidian parties have “hoarded” large amounts of cash in all constituencies to distribute in the next two days.
‘Suspicion on ROs’
“There is suspicion about Returning Officers. But the ECI keeps saying free and fair polls. It is as though they just want to conduct the elections and move out,” he charged.
However, Mr. Ramadoss said the people would give a befitting reply to parties depending on money power. “Already, over Rs. 100 crore has been seized. It has come to a stage where the AIADMK and the DMK think they cannot win a seat without distributing cash,” he claimed.
Mr. Ramadoss added that if the PMK wins the elections, there would two Deputy Chief Ministers. “One of them would be from the southern districts and the other would be a woman,” he said.
Criminal defamation
On the Supreme Court upholding criminal defamation, he said the news was disappointing as the law had been used to harass political opponents and the media.
He hoped the government would take a positive stand and would repeal the law through Parliament.