Grateful to Prime Minister for opportunity to contest election: Panneerselvam

A video clip apparently showing him giving ₹1,000 to women has gone viral on social media

O. Panneerselvam, coordinator of Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhaga Cadres Right Retrieval Organisation, on Saturday, thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the opportunity to contest from Ramanathapuram Lok Sabha Constituency, for the upcoming Lok Sabah polls.

Mr. Panneerselvam, who was speaking in Aranthangi in Pudukottai district, at a workers’ meeting of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners, said: “This region is facing severe drinking water problems that have not been resolved for a long time. There needs to be industrial development here to develop the region. I will take this to Mr. Modi’s notice and resolve these issues

O. Panneerselvam

once I am elected.”

Mr. Panneerselvam also stressed that his ancestors were from the undivided Ramanathapuram district. “They have moved from the sea side to the hills, and now, I have come from the hills to the sea side,” he quipped

Former

Minister

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Vaithilingam, former MLA E.A. Rathnasababathy and BJP East district president C. Jagadeesan were present along with party workers from the alliance parties that consist of the BJP, PMK and TMC among others.

Earlier, a video clip apparently showing Mr. Panneerselvam giving ₹1,000 in cash to a few women who welcomed him with an ‘aarti,’ went viral on social media platforms.

Speaking to The Hindu, an election officer in the district said the matter had come to their notice and appropriate action would be taken

Hitting out at Left parties, BJP State president K. Annamalai on Saturday accused them of being antidevelopment.

“Everywhere people have come out of Communist ideology. Communists cannot bring development,” he claimed.

The BJP leader was campaigning in support of par