AAP takes the fight to Dayanidhi Maran

CHENNAI: Aam Aadmi Party in Tamil Nadu has decided to field strong candidates against scam-tainted DMK leaders Dayanidhi Maran and A Raja in the Lok Sabha elections, queering the pitch further for the two former ministers, who are already up against a formidable opposition in the form of AIADMK and the newly formed BJP front.

"We will field strong candidates against Raja in Nilgiris and Maran in Central Chennai," said David Barun Kumar, convener of AAP's campaign committee in the state. "Our aim is to defeat all the corrupt leaders and we will do that," he said.

As AAP has made it a point to specifically target leaders perceived to be corrupt in the elections, it was expected of the party to take on Maran and Raja in TN. In its first list of candidates, the party had named former journalist Ashutosh to take on Union minister Kapil Sibal, Mukul Tripathi to contest against external affairs minister Salman Khurshid and Anjali Damania against BJP leader Nitin Gadkari.

AAP's move to field strong candidates against Raja and Maran will help defeat them, said C K Mathivanan, former BSNL officer who exposed the secret telephone exchange set up by Maran at his residence when he was telecom minister. "All political parties are corrupt. People need an alternative," Mathivanan said.

Although AAP has enrolled more than three lakh members in TN in a short span of time, it still needs more support to make an impact in elections. Recently, anti-nuclear activists S P Udhayakumar and M P Jesuraj joined AAP.

On Wednesday, Vasigaran, founder of Desiya Jananaayaga Katchi, joined the party. "We are happy that every day we are getting such eminent persons. We will see more of this happening as we near the elections," Barun Kumar said at a press conference where Vasigaran was present. He said the party will release its candidates' list for Tamil Nadu on Saturday.