The sarcasm was not lost on anyone, when he showed a brick in his hand, standing atop his campaign vehicle. Campaigning in Vilathikulam near Madurai, DMK youth wing leader Udhayanidhi Stalin took to reminding the people about the delay in construction of an AIIMS campus in the region.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone for the AIIMS campus at Thoppur near Madurai in the presence of Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswamy in January 2019. The AIIMS campus turned into an election issue with Udhayanidhi reminding people about the delay in building it and the BJP lodging a police complaint.
“Do you remember the BJP and the AIADMK constructed an AIIMS hospital for the people. I have brought it with me in my hand,” he said, showing a red brick. His tactic seems to have irked the BJP and the AIADMK. The delay in construction of the AIIMS has remained an issue in Tamil Nadu. While the Centre appointed directors for the yet-to-be-built AIIMS, the project has not seen the light of day except for land acquisition in Madurai for over two years. And when Udhayanidhi spoke on this, it was construed as epic 'trolling' of the BJP. But the BJP, by filing a complaint, has yet again made it apparent that the construction has not yet begun.
A BJP functionary from Kovilpatti on Thursday filed a complaint against Udhayanidhi Stalin, accusing him of stealing a brick from the construction site of the Madurai AIIMS. M. Neethipandian, a advocate, in his complaint said that Udhayanidhi, while campaigning for his party’s candidate in Vilathikulam, showed a brick, claiming he had taken it from the AIIMS premises, under construction in Madurai.
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“It is a punishable offence under section 380 of the IPC, as he has stolen it from the site,” said Neethipandian in his complaint.
“To build an AIIMS hospital in Thoppur, Madurai, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid foundation on January 27, 2019. About two years later in December 2020, construction of the surrounding wall began. The secretary of the DMK youth wing, Udhayanidhi Stalin, has stolen a brick from AIIMS, Madurai, which is a protected property. He even admitted to this act by exhibiting the brick, during his campaign,” Neethipandian said in his complaint.
