AIADMK deputy general secretary K.P. Munusamy on Friday challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to field Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar – who hail from Tamil Nadu – in any two Lok Sabha constituencies in the State to test Mr. Modi’s claim of the BJP’s “soaring popularity” in Tamil Nadu.
Speaking at a public meeting in Shoolagiri, he said, “If you are so popular, why didn’t you field Union Minister of State L. Murugan? Why did you give him a Rajya Sabha seat (from Madhya Pradesh) instead? You claim that your party has grown in stature and popularity on our Dravidian soil. You have two Union Ministers from this State. Field them in any two constituencies of Tamil Nadu. If you have the courage, bring them here. Then you will know who is popular,” Mr. Munusamy said.
Criticising Mr. Modi and BJP State president K. Annamalai, he challenged their claim of the BJP’s “rising stature”.
“They keep harping on about 300 seats, 400 seats...how many seats will you get here in Tamil Nadu,” Mr. Munusamy asked. According to him, the DMK was the only competitor of the AIADMK, and the BJP was going to lose its deposit in all the constituencies it contests.
