Stalin says will quit politics if talks with BJP claim proved

In a statement here, he said, “If either Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Tamilisai proved that I am in talks with BJP for post-poll alliance, I am ready to quit politics.”

“If they failed to prove it, are Modi and Tamilisai prepared to quit politics,” Stalin asked.

Tamilisai, while talking to reporters in Thoothukudi, replied in the affirmative when asked whether Stalin was in talks with the BJP.

Terming as a blatant lie, Tamilisai’s claim that he was in talks with Modi knowing well that the BJP-led alliance will win the Lok Sabha polls, he said it was habit of the BJP to sow the seeds of confusion as it has gone to the brink of defeat.

He said he was pained to see that Tamilisai, who was born in a traditional political family, has stooped to such level.

Asserting that it was the DMK which had first projected Congress President Rahul Gandhi as the next Prime Ministerial candidate, Stalin said he had been reiterating that the fascist, sadist and autocratic BJP-led government at the Centre should be ousted as people were put to untold sufferings in the last five years.

Unable to bear this and startled by the definite victory of the DMK and its allies in the polls, the top BJP leadership, including Modi has used Tamilisai as a tool in a last ditch effort, he charged.

He said Tamilisai has made such remarks in its bid to prevent minorities from voting for the DMK in the bypoll to four Assembly seats on May 19 and to stall the DMK’s campaign projecting Rahul as the next Prime Minister ahead of the final phase of Lok Sabha polls. But their calculations would go wrong, he added.

The flying squad team personnel conducted search operations in the campaign vehicle of DMK president MK Stalin in Thoothukudi on Tuesday. 

Stalin landed at Thoothukudi airport at 9.30 am, as he was scheduled to campaign for DMK candidate Shanmugaiah, contesting from Ottapidaram Assembly constituency.

The campaign vehicle moved from a private resort, located on the outskirts of Thoothukudi to pick him up at the airport. The flying squad deputed at the locality carried out their routine task of checking after intercepting the vehicle.

Apart from searching the campaign vehicle thoroughly, Stalin’s convoy vehicles also checked by the squad. The search operations by the squad lasted nearly for an hour, sources said. 

When asked whether search operations were conducted in accommodation room, where Stalin was scheduled to stay, Thoothukudi Collector and District Election Officer Sandeep Nanduri said flying squads were not empowered to enter any premises to conduct such search operations, but their role is to check vehicles on roads to find whether unaccounted cash was found inside vehicles.  The Income Tax Department officials could only enter any premises and conduct raids.

A total of 90 flying squads and static surveillance teams had been involved in checking vehicles round the clock under the limits of Ottapidaram constituency and 30 check posts exist, the Collector said. So far, unaccounted cash of Rs 1.25 crore had been seized by flying squads. 

On Tuesday, silver articles worth Rs 10 lakh were seized and the one held seemed a trader, was yet to produce valid documents to claim his property. As of now, around twenty cases concerning violation of model code of conduct had been registered, Nanduri added.