COIMBATORE: Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary K Balakrishnan on Sunday questioned why BJP state president K Annamalai and Governor RN Ravi are maintaining silence over the issue of BJP leaders threatening Dharmapuram Adheenam demanding money.

Addressing the media, Balakrishnan said both Annamalai and Ravi, who have visited the Dharmapuram Adheenam mutt, are refusing to open up on the issue as their party men were involved in the offence.

“Our aim is not only to hand over a defeat to BJP in Lok Sabha polls but also make their candidates lose their deposit. Out of the 195 candidates announced by BJP, there is none from Tamil Nadu as the party is left with no candidates. None is ready to contest on a BJP symbol. People are also not in a mood to vote for either AIADMK or BJP,” he said.Accusing BJP state president K Annamalai for break-up of NDA alliance in Tamil Nadu following his personal attacks on other party leaders, Balakrishnan made an appeal to Annamalai to avoid such personal attacks. “It is a daydream for BJP to defeat DMK alliance even in one seat in Tamil Nadu,” he said.

Urging the state government to curb drug trafficking with an iron hand, the CPI (M) leader said ganja sales has grown into a bigger menace and so war-footing efforts should be taken to curb drugs.