K Annamalai’s Rafale watch triggers debate over corruption, ‘nationalism’

Tamil Nadu By Shilpa Nair December 20, 2022 Read the article

The latest flashpoint between Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai and DMK minister Senthil Balaji is an expensive Rafale special edition watch.

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Controversy erupted after DMK members put up pictures of Annamalai sporting the watch — which costs ₹3.48 lakh — on social media platforms.

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They questioned the state BJP president as to how he could afford such an expensive watch when he claimed to come from a humble background.

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Annamalai said that he owned the watch, which is made out of parts from the Rafale jet produced by the Dassault Aviation company, as he was a “nationalist”.

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“Out of the 500 watches, mine is the 149th piece. I will wear the watch until my last breath,” he told reporters.

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“After Rafale, the high-altitude warfare has changed and India’s reach has substantially improved,” Annamalai added.

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Tamil Nadu Electricity minister Senthil Balaji took to Twitter wondering how Annamalai bought the watch when he claimed that his “sole assets were four goats”.

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Once again, this evoked a rebuttal from Annamalai who stated that he was “more than ready” to take on the DMK on the issue of “corruption”.

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He stated that he would release information on his finances and properties on the day he starts his padayatra ahead of the 2024 general elections.

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The BJP IT Wing shared posts about the expensive things owned by DMK chief MK Stalin, Udhayanidhi Stalin and other party leaders.

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