AMMK candidates see polls a chance to teach rivals a lesson

Former Andipatti MLA Thangatamilselvan said, “We will focus on why the constituency was orphaned by the disqualification and had to suffer without development work when the AIADMK was angry with us. We plan to convert sympathy for us into votes.” Meanwhile, the Vellore district has three disqualified MLAs, Jayanthi Padmanabhan (Gudiyattam), P Subramani (Ambur) and NG Parthiban (Sholingur).

Jayanthi Padmanabhan demanded to know, “Why my constituency people had to suffer for no fault of theirs.” Elaborating she said, “I requested the Chief Minister to announce the Rs 130-crore Badrapalli dam project after the court cases were finally cleared. I was told it would be announced during the MGR centenary celebrations, but it was not done.”

Sources said that the dam if completed would solve water issues in three taluks.

As it is, with most of the proposed project’s ayacut either becoming dry land or being converted into real estate lands, the project faced the danger of being unable to meet the Central government’s criteria of specific ayacut to get the government’s nod. Similarly, though Tourism Minister Vellamandi Natarajan sanctioned Rs 12-crore road project for the Kailasagiri Subramania Swamy temple, the funds were returned for unknown reasons, Jayanthi added.

“We also sought permission to use the constituency development fund to construct a minor bridge near the Gangaiamman temple in Gudiyattam. The letter was trashed,” she said. Likewise tenders were not floated for Rs 12 crore bridge across the Malatar river at Nariampattu despite a GO being passed. While the GO was not issued for a Rs 10-crore bridge connecting Pachakuppam and Azhinjikuppam across the Palar despite the project report being finalised” she averred.

While Ambur’s Subramani could not be contacted, Sholingur’s NG Parthiban accompanied by his father N Gopal former Sholingur MLA and Arkonam MP was in Chennai for consultations with party leader TTV Dhinakaran. Gopal told DT Next, “We will win Sholingur if we contest... But, Dhinakaran wants Parthiban to contest from Arakkonam Parliamentary seat. We will see.”