COIMBATORE: BJP MLA Vanathi Srinivasan on Friday said there is no animosity or discord between her and former party state president K Annamalai. She expressed her wish that Annamalai would contest in the April 23 assembly election and win. Addressing reporters at the BJP office in Coimbatore, Vanathi said seat-sharing talks within the National Democratic Alliance had concluded smoothly. “BJP is fully prepared to contest the elections in alliance with the AIADMK and other partners,” she said. Responding to reports of dissatisfaction among cadres in some constituencies, she said compromises were unavoidable in any alliance, and party workers should respect the leadership’s decision which is final and binding. Vanathi said the conflict between Iran and the United States had disrupted the movement of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, causing crude oil prices to rise above $100 per barrel. Despite this serious situation, the Union govt had reduced the excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 10 per litre to ease the burden on the public, she said.
