BJP vs DMK: An unexpected row broke out between the Tamil Nadu BJP president and the ruling DMK Minister for Electricity & Prohibition and Excise Senthil Balaji after the latter questioned the expensive watch worn by the saffron party leader. Balaji had asked in a series of tweets how Annamalai, who claims to have only four goats, had bought a limited edition watch made by the French company Dassault Aviation. Balaji claimed that a single watch costs over Rs five lakh and asked Annamalai to publicise the receipt for the watch within an hour of his tweet.
Responding to his tweets, Annamalai said that he is ready to fight the issue of corruption with the DMK. “Since DMK wants to fight on the issue of corruption with me, I’m more than ready to do that. The details of my Rafale watch, which was purchased in May 2021, along with its bill (before I became TN BJP President), All of my lifetime Income Tax statements, Photocopies of my 10 years of all of my bank accounts (every single income I had received will be shown), all my earnings as an IPS officer from Aug 2011 & till I resigned, details of all of the immovable properties I own that is more than 1 Lakh, including the no of sheep & cows I have – will be released on the day I’ll be starting to travel across by foot in Tamil Nadu to meet our people who adore our Hon PM Thiru Narendra Modi avl – which will be very soon,” he said.
Annamalai said that he will be conducting a press conference on that day – release all these statements and will start meeting people from then on. He said that the details of any other movable thing with him will also be released on the same day.
“If anybody can find 1 paise of property more than what I have declared anywhere in the world, then all of my property will be given to the Govt. Now I leave it to my TN brothers & sisters to decide whether they want to seek this from the DMK party leaders as well,” said the BJP leader.
Photocopies of my 10 years of all of my bank accounts (every single income I had received will be shown), all my earnings as an IPS officer from Aug 2011 & till I resigned, details of all of the immovable properties I own that is more than 1 Lakh (2/5)
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) December 18, 2022
However, Balaji said that Annamalai is not required to do the drama of releasing a bank statement and he should have simply posted the watch bill on a public platform. He also said that Annamalai is undermining the Make in India by wearing a foreign watch. “Does he have a bill of Rs 5 lakh or will he prepare it later,” asked Balaji.