File Photo: Senior Congress Leader P Chidambaram. (Press Trust of India)
Decrying the use of money to lure voters in elections, former Union minister P Chidambaram today said it has brought "disgrace" to Tamil Nadu and asked people to take a vow not to accept cash for votes.
"Disbursement of cash for votes has brought disgrace to Tamil Nadu all over the country where people ask how much money will you get for the next election, Rs 500 or Rs 1,000 (per vote)," the senior Congress leader said.
He was making an apparent reference to allegations of widespread disbursement of cash for votes in the state in past elections, including last Lok Sabha polls.
Hoisting the Congress flag at 22 places in the district, his native, he said people should take a vow not to take money for casting votes in any poll.
Without naming the ruling AIADMK, he said one party in the state which was "cash-rich is very insolent" because they thought they could buy votes.
Chidambaram, who had represented Sivaganga constituency in Lok Sabha, claimed several people told him that they were not even aware of their present (AIADMK) MP.
"People are telling they don't know the name of the present MP. They have not seen the MP. There was a time when the voice of Sivaganga echoed in Parliament daily. Now it is not so. People of this constituency should ask the MP what is he doing in Parliament. They have got the right to do so," he said.
Chidambaram's son Karti unsuccessfully contested the last Lok Sabha election from Sivaganga.
Attacking the BJP-led NDA government, the former finance minister alleged it had stopped the hundred days employment guarantee programme.
Even in Sivaganga consituency where he used to open bank branches and introduce schemes, no scheme had been launched for the past one year and no bank branches opened, he said.
He said the Congress flag would be hoisted in all 627 panchayats in the district and the party strengthened.
Describing the Narendra Modi government as 'anti-farmer', he said farmers were not getting sufficient price for their produce.
The Prime Minister, who toured 18 countries in the last one year, had not come to Tamil Nadu once. The government was only doing "magic act through speeches" without doing anything actually at the ground level, he charged.