It is important that the ruling parties in the Centre and State are on the same page for Coimbatore to grow in the next five years. People have realised this and that’s the reason that he’s seeing strong support wherever he has campaigned, BJP candidate for the Coimbatore Parliamentary constituency C.P. Radhakrishnan says in an interview to The Hindu on Saturday.
Coimbatore is in need of big infrastructure development to propel the city to the next level and this can happen only when there is a stable, development-oriented government in the Centre.
This is what he has been highlighting in the urban areas of the constituency – Coimbatore South, Coimbatore North and parts of the Kavundampalayam constituency.
In the rural areas, the two-time MP says, his focus is on agriculture development.
“I highlight what has been the Narendra Modi government’s achievements in the past five years. I also remind the voters of my role in getting minimum support price for coconut and assure the farmers of all possible of help.”
In the textile belt and industrial clusters in Sulur and Palladam, his focus is on reducing the GST tax rate. “Soon after the introduction of the GST, there were some problems. The Modi government has addressed some of those and it could have done more had there been proper representation. This time, though, I’ve told the industries that the BJP government will do all that is possible to either reduce the tax rate or give exemption.”
This was what the Prime Minister had also said during his address in Coimbatore a few days ago, points out Mr. Radhakrishnan and adds, “The Prime Minister said the government will definitely be responsive to people’s right grievance.”
The BJP candidate is also of the opinion that his rival CPI(M) candidate P.R. Natarajan's campaign that the GST had hit hard the industries resulting in job loss in Coimbatore will not find traction with voters.
On the contrary, the defence corridor project announced by the Central Government will bring new opportunities for industrial growth leading to more employment opportunities. The result will be that the city's economy will also grow.
If he’s campaigning on the strength of the BJP’s government's achievements in the past five years, how does he see the poor implementation of Smart Cities Mission projects in Coimbatore?
No doubt, the schemes proposed for Coimbatore have taken time. The money has come and the work has started.
If the people's vote to election him an MP, his job will be to ensure speedy completion, he replies.
On how blunted has his attack against the DMK-led coalition on corruption become by having the AIADMK on his side, the BJP leader replies:
If one were to go by MDMK leader Vaiko’s statements against the DMK and Congress, he should not have joined them. But then politics is an art of possibilities.
The BJP has governed the country in the last five years without corruption and is committed to honest governance.
