On the auspicious occassion of Tamil New Year, BJP Tamil Nadu President K. Annamalai made an announcement about his much awaited Padayatra.
The padayatra will commence on his birthday (4 June 2023) and the state leadership will try to cover all the Parliamentary consituencies of Tamil Nadu in the lead up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
A dedicated website has also been launched for the Padayatra where people can register to walk with Annamalai.
In a foreword about his Padayatra, Annamalai has written that the governance of the Tamil Nadu has been marred by corruption everyday and in every space and that he wishes to reclaim Tamil Nadu’s lost glory through his padayatra.
Here’s the full text of Annamalai’s message:
No force on earth can stop an idea whose time has come.
“What resource does my motherland not have?” This famous line has been an inspiration for our Prime Minister Thiru. Narendra Modi avargal to put India on the path of self-reliance by empowering every citizen.
The BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi has been governing this country for close to a decade without a single instance of corruption. Development through empowerment has been the mantra. Empowerment of farmers, empowerment of women, empowerment of youth, empowerment of fishermen, empowerment of the marginalized, empowerment of entrepreneurs, basically, empowerment of every Indian is at the core of every scheme, every policy and every thought process of the Modi government.
Because of PM Modi’s various initiatives, India has made huge strides and has emerged as a world power today that other nations look up to. Every day is a history-in-making in India’s growth story.
But India’s story is incomplete without Tamil Nadu.
Unfortunately, Tamil Nadu today is under the grip of one party that is more concerned about the welfare of one family than the welfare of the Tamil people. There is a Chief Minister who is more interested in doing PR stunts than solving people’s problems. His entire coterie of Ministers have been singing paeans to the next dynast in line while abusing people day in and day out in the name of caste and religion. An entire lot of MPs are proving to be a deadweight in the Parliament. The subsequent rung of leaders have been having a field day taking the common Tamil people for granted. In short, instead of eliminating people’s woes, they themselves have become a woe for the Tamil people.
Law & Order is in shambles. Goons are roaming around the streets with sickles in their hands, while critics who criticize his “highness” are put behind bars. Custodial deaths have become frequent. Crime against women have been on the rise. Ganja and other drugs are flooding the streets. Lands are being encroached. Businesses are being attacked.
The economy is in tatters. The state’s economy basically runs on liquor at the cost of people’s lives. Investors are pulling out due to rampant corruption. Businesses prefer Bengaluru and Hyderabad over Chennai due to a hostile business climate. Infrastructure development is being blocked by naxal elements who were nurtured by those in power today.
Human capital is being institutionally weakened. Half of our children can’t even read Tamil and do basic arithmetic. Engineers graduating from colleges run by politicians have no jobs. Exams for state government jobs are marred by irregularities. In essence, the state’s manpower is being wasted.
A party that prides itself on social justice has been at the forefront of meteing out injustice to the marginalized people. Tamil Nadu has the maximum number of villages practicing untouchability. Marginalized people are put through inexplicable misery with sometimes faeces being found in their drinking water.
Corruption has become the order of the day. To get a community certificate, you’ve to bribe. To get a water connection, you’ve to bribe. To get an electricity connection, you’ve to bribe. To get a driving license, you’ve to bribe. To get your MNREGA wages, you’ve to bribe. To get your land registered, you’ve to bribe. In short, if you have to live in Tamil Nadu, you’ve to bribe.
But, I will not let my people languish in hopelessness forever. I will not let my Tamil people to come under the mercy of one family. I will not let my Tamil people to be taken for granted. I will not let my Tamil people fall prey to the nefarious politics that has plagued this state for long. I will not let my Tamil people to walk with their heads down in shame. The time has come for Tamil people to wake up from their slumber and walk with their head held high. The time has come for Tamil Nadu to walk on a new path.
And I am here to walk with you. Together, we will rise. Together, we will reclaim the lost glory of Tamil Nadu. Together, we will build a new future. Together, we will make Tamil Nadu great again!
This is not a journey. This is a mission. This is a mission for my land. This is a mission for my people.
We will meet very soon.
Yours truly,
Annamalai Kuppusamy
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