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Tamil Nadu Deputy Speaker Ravi Shankar on Friday claimed that the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) would win the two upcoming by-elections in the state without distributing even a single rupee to voters.
Speaking to reporters in Trichy after paying floral tribute to the portrait of Immanuel Sekaran near Mahatma Gandhi School, Ravi Shankar said the TVK would also emerge victorious in the remaining Assembly by-elections, local body elections, and the upcoming parliamentary election without offering money to voters. I contested the Thuraiyur Assembly constituency without giving even a single rupee. The votes I received were votes cast for the face of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. I will do good for the people and protect them, he said. On the water situation in the Cauvery delta, Ravi Shankar said rainfall and inflow were lower compared to previous years. However, since water had been released from the Mettur Dam at the beginning of the irrigation season, the Tamil Nadu government was taking steps to ensure that water reached even the tail-end areas of the delta. Referring to the former Chief Minister's remarks about the events during the MISA period, he said the former Chief Minister had spoken based on his own experience. Asked whether the former Chief Minister could be arrested following the recent Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) searches and corruption cases registered against former ministers, Ravi Shankar said the moral responsibility would ultimately rest with the Chief Minister if the allegations were proved. If the charges are proved, whether they happened with his knowledge or without his knowledge, the Chief Minister must bear the moral responsibility. Treatment will be given according to the severity of the pain, he said, using a medical analogy to describe possible action. Asked who had projected Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay as the Prime Ministerial candidate, Ravi Shankar questioned whether there had been any official announcement to that effect. He said the party had been working towards forming a secular and social justice-based winning alliance and described TVK as a regional party at present. (ANI)
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