Coimbatore: Senior BJP leader H Raja on Thursday alleged corruption to the tune of Rs.1,000 crore in the purchase of Pongal gift hampers for distribution among the ration cardholders in Tamil Nadu this month.
Considering the standard of the articles distributed as against the claim of a Rs 1,800-crore purchase by the government, there was a corruption of Rs 1,000 crore, Mr Raja told reporters in Coimbatore.
The ruling party DMK, which demanded Rs 5,000 for distribution among the people as against Rs 2,500 given by the previous AIADMK regime as a Pongal gift, had given only sub-standard articles now, said Raja who was here to participate in a temple festival.
The people will give a befitting reply to the ruling party in the coming civic body election for cheating them, he said.
On the Republic Day tableaux, he said when the DMK-Congress government was in power at the Centre from 2006, permission was given for Tamil Nadu tableaux only for two years, and the DMK was enacting a drama on the issue, he said. Stating that the government has no role in selecting the tableaux, Raja said even those of BJP-ruled State of Uttar Pradesh did not find place in the list.