The Hindu (Madurai)

Su. Venkatesan is ◣ politician, says P. Saravanan

‘The incumbent MP failed to fulfil promises made by him during 2019 polls; he did not even fully utilise MP funds, says the AIADMK candidate

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The fight in Madurai Lok Sabha constituen­cy is between the AIADMK and the CPI (M) (DMK alliance), says AIADMK candidate P. Saravanan.

A doctor by profession, Dr. Saravanan calls sitting MP and CPI(M) candidate Su. Venkatesan ◣ politician looking for fame in social media, while interactin­g with The Hindu on Tuesday.

Mr. Venkatesan has not done anything for the developmen­t of the Madurai constituen­cy, but for taking credit for good works of others, he charges.

Mr. Saravanan, a former MLA of the DMK, was elected from Tirupparan­kundram assembly segment on DMK ticket in the 2019 byelection. Though the stint as an MLA was for a short period, he says that the people of Tirupparan­kundram constituen­cy remember various works carried out by him for the welfare of the people.

Highlighti­ng his achievemen­ts as an MLA, he says that being a doctor he prioritise­d and provided healthcare assistance to the people.

He has conducted surgeries to the needy people and distribute­d artificial limbs to differentl­y abled people through a charitable trust run by him.

When the area was reeling under a severe water crisis, he supplied water to the households, particular­ly the rural pockets, through tanker lorries. “People of Tirupparan­kundram constituen­cy still fondly recall my con

P. Saravanan, AIADMK candidate for Madurai Lok Sabha constituen­cy, interactin­g with in Madurai on Tuesday.

‘While in Coimbatore, P.R. Natarajan of the CPI(M) has utilised the funds for the welfare of the people, it has not been the case in Madurai. Of the ₹17 crore MP funds allocated, he has spent only ₹5 crore’

tributions,” he says.

“Mr. Venkatesan has failed to fulfil the promises made by him during the 2019 polls, including waiver of education loans. While he claims that he has achieved success in implementi­ng them, he hasn’t even fully utilised the MP funds for the welfare of the people.”

“We normally associate communists with leading a simple life and who put the welfare of the people first. However, Venkatesan has hardly used the MP funds for the welfare of the people. While in Coimbatore, Mr. P.R. Natarajan of the CPI(M) has utilised the funds for the welfare of the people, it has not been the case in Madurai. Of the ₹17 crore MP funds allocated, he has spent only ₹5 crore”, he charges.

He says that under the DMKled State government, the State was facing law and order issues and drug abuse was on the rise.

The DMK keeps claiming that it is working for the welfare of the minorities. However, in Madurai, we have received complaints from the people about lack of basic amenities in their areas.

To address the grievances of the people, he says that they have come up with an election manifesto that focuses on the constituen­cy.

Listing them out, he says the focus will be on agricultur­e, GI tag for appalam made in Madurai, export centre, technology parks, industrial corridor, roads and railway projects, establishm­ent of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, National Institute of Pharmaceut­ical Education and Research and the Madurai Airport expansion project.

He says that he is confident of winning the Lok Sabha election with a good margin. When asked about the pending case against him over the use of expired stents, he says that it is a politicall­y manipulate­d case and there was no expiry of stents.

When asked about his shifting to different parties frequently, he says political ideology was there only at the time of the late Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai.

“Now, that political parties of different ideologies are forming alliance means there is no ideology. My principle in life is to help the people, like MGR,” he says.

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