TN: AAP invites anti-nuclear activists to become members

Chennai: Inviting the people of Iddinthakarai in Tamil Nadu to become members, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is mulling to contest from 12 to 15 constituencies in the ensuing general elections, said a party official.

"We will be contesting in 12 to 15 seats. We are on the look out for good candidates to fight the elections as our party candidates. The people of Iddinthakarai can become members of the party without any hassle," AAP's state convenor Christina Samy said.

She said AAP's Tamil Nadu chapter enters the Lok Sabha election fray with an objective to defeat the corrupt politicians who should not be allowed to enter Parliament.

"AAP will contest in all the constituencies where the corrupt politicians are contesting," she said in a statement issued here earlier on Sunday.

According to the statement, AAP is inviting applications for candidature representation from Tamil fishermen groups and farmers to represent their concerns in the upcoming Parliament election.

AAP was approached by people of Iddinthakarai - the epicentre of the protest against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP) spearheaded by the People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) - who expressed their wish to join the party. Iddinthakarai is in Tirunelvelli district around 650 kms from here.

The PMANE had earlier said that it plans to take the anti-nuclear power plant movement political by joining hands with AAP.

"It is stated by Tamil Nadu AAP that Iddinthakarai people and their representatives SP Udayakumar are welcome to join Aam Aadmi Party as basic members," Samy said.

Queried about AAP's stand on nuclear power, Samy said: "Shortly the party would come out with a clear stand on that aspect."

Meanwhile the party is gearing up for the general elections and trying to enroll around 7,500 volunteers for each constituency for poll work, party's state treasurer Anand Ganesh V. said.

"We have offices in almost all the districts in the state," he said.

On the charge that the party has not been aggressive and seems to be soft on the state's ruling AIADMK, Ganesh said: "AAP campaign in the state is not offensive. We will bring the truth out. Ours will be an awareness creating campaign."

Disagreeing with the perception that AAP is a party of NGOs, Ganesh said that though a lot of NGOs are joining them, but the party has members from different walks of life and in varied ages ranging from 18 to 70.