The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) candidate for Madurai for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections, R. Gopalakrishnan, began his election campaign here on Monday.
Mr.Gopalakrishnan visited Sri Narasimha Perumal Temple at Narasingam near Othakadai. Hundreds of party cadres thronged the venue to lend their support to the candidate.
Flanked by Mayor V.V. Rajan Chellappa, Minister for Cooperation Sellur K. Raju and party functionaries which included former Minister Valarmathi Jebaraj, MLAs A.K. Bose, R. Sami and Tamilarasan, he boarded a specially decked vehicle and canvassed votes among the residents of Othakadai.
Mr.Raju, who then addressed the gathering at Othakadai, said the AIADMK government had put various welfare schemes in place in the last three years to resurrect the State which had been damaged by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) during it tenure.
“From free mixies and grinders for homes as well as laptops to aid students with their education, the State had always kept public welfare and development in mind,” he said.
Stating that M.K. Alagiri, during his tenure as a Union Minister, had not raised his voice in support of the district, the Minister said AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa was a good Prime Ministerial candidate as she would ensure development.
The Cooperation Minister also flayed the 10-year Congress rule at the Centre and rued the problems that had cropped up in the period, including the fall of rupee, the threat to the Indian Army and the occupation of the country’s land by China.
Vehemently opposing the claims that the AIADMK government supported Sri Lanka after the war in the island nation, Mr.Raju said Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had put forth many resolutions and pleas to investigate into war crimes and called for a ban on trade activities with Sri Lanka.
