Tiruchirappalli (Tamil Nadu) [India], January 9 : Tamil Nadu Municipal Administration Minister KN Nehru on Tuesday said the DMK has no connection with the controversy surrounding the actor and TVK Chief Vijay's film "Jana Nayagan" and questioned why Congress party members were raising the issue.
The Minister was speaking to reporters after attending a programme to distribute laptops to students at St Joseph's College in Tiruchirappalli.
He said that in the Tiruchirappalli district, the Pongal gift assistance of Rs 3,000 would be distributed to ration card holders within four days, benefiting around 10 lakh families. He also stated that 19,000 laptops would be distributed to students, who were happy with the initiative.
Responding to a question on the 'Jana Nayagan' censor issue, Nehru said the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) functions under the Union Government. "What connection does the DMK have with this? Certification is granted by the censor board and received by the filmmakers. Similar instances occurred even during Jayalalithaa's tenure. We have no role in this matter," he said.
He further said he did not understand the link between the Congress party, actor Vijay, and the issue, and questioned why they were raising their voices.
Congress has alleged that the BJP-led centre is misusing their power by delaying the film, which they believe is an attempt to influence the upcoming state assembly elections.
On AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah to strengthen the alliance, Nehru said while they were now trying to strengthen their alliance, the DMK-led alliance was already strong.
Referring to the DMK election manifesto, Nehru said a statewide tour was being conducted under the leadership of MP Kanimozhi. He added that the DMK manifesto would once again be the "hero", noting that over 80 percent of promises in the previous manifesto had been fulfilled despite financial constraints imposed by the Union Government.
Responding to questions on political developments, Nehru said the AIADMK would not win in Tamil Nadu and asserted that the DMK would retain power.
Tamil Nadu is scheduled to hold elections in the first half of this year.