Amid row over Rs 5 lakh Rafale watch, BJP leader Annamalai says will furnish details in April

Annamalai’s expensive wristwatch had triggered a Twitter debate after Tamil Nadu Minister Senthil Balaji raised the issue and asked whether he can produce a receipt for the watch within an hour.

By: Express Web Desk
Chennai | Updated: December 21, 2022 11:52 AM IST

3 min read

K Annamalai said that he will furnish the details about the Rafale watch in April and will also release all details of the wealth owned by Chief Minister M K Stalin, his family as well other as ministers and MLAs. (File Photo)

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Amid the row over Tamil Nadu BJP leader K Annamalai’s expensive foreign wristwatch, the leader said Tuesday he will furnish the details about the Rafale watch in April, but will also release all details of the wealth owned by Chief Minister M K Stalin and his family as well other as ministers and MLAs.

Addressing reporters at Tiruppur Tuesday, Annamalai said people who are in power are questioning the common man. “They questioned MGR (M G Ramachandran, AIADMK founder, and former Tamil Nadu chief minister). I am not even equal to his foot nail. But now, the ruling government is questioning a common man. We will furnish all details of all the wealth of the Chief Minister’s family, 13 ministers… which is found to be close to Rs two lakh crore. The DMK has started this, now we are going to write the conclusion,” he said.

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Also Read | Facing heat over ‘Rafale’ watch, Tamil Nadu BJP chief gives it a patriotic twist

The BJP leader said Tamil Nadu Electricity and Prohibition and Excise Minister V Senthil Balaji is one among the 13 ministers. He added that in addition to a toll-free number, they are soon going to launch an application and website where people can upload the wealth details of the DMK benamis and the BJP team will check them and take further course of action. He said that people can provide these details anonymously.

Annamalai’s expensive wristwatch had triggered a Twitter debate after Tamil Nadu Minister Senthil Balaji raised the issue and asked whether he can produce a receipt for the watch within an hour. According to PTI, the Rafale watch, which the BJP president sports, is a limited edition made by the French company marking the handing over of the Rafale fighter jets to India.

While taking a jibe at Annamalai’s nationalism, Balaji said he wanted to know how it is possible for Annamalai, who claimed to be an owner of four goats and cows, to afford the limited edition Rafale watch costing about Rs 5 lakh.

Responding to Balaji, Annamalai said he bought the Rafale watch in May 2021 before he became the president of the Tamil Nadu BJP.

Annamalai said he is ready to furnish the receipt of the watch, his lifetime income tax statements, and all his earnings as an IPS officer in the public domain. If there is a discrepancy in the assets he declares, he said he is ready to hand over his wealth to the government but asked whether the DMK and its leaders are ready to do the same.

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