DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Sunday said the AIADMK had snapped ties with the BJP only due to the realisation that it would not be able to even retain its deposit in the 2024 Lok Sabha election if the alliance continued.
Mr. Stalin also questioned AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s claim of being a “champion of minorities”. Mr. Palaniswami, who had pledged his party with the BJP, had suddenly developed affection for the minorities as he realised that his party won’t get even the deposit if it went to polls in alliance with the BJP, Mr. Stalin said. He questioned the AIADMK’s support for the abrogation of Article 370, which granted Special Status for Jammu and Kashmir, and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act that affected the minorities the most.
Addressing a workshop for DMK booth committee agents from eight northern districts at Kalaignar Thidal in Malappambadi village near Tiruvannamalai town, Mr. Stalin accused Mr. Palaniswami of making false claims on developmental schemes in the State.
Dubbing the AIADMK leader as Poi (lies) Palaniswami, Mr. Stalin denied that his government was taking credit for schemes for which the foundations were laid during the erstwhile AIADMK regime.
“Were schemes such as Mahalir Urimai Thittam; free bus ride for women; free breakfast for primary school children in government schools; and many other schemes brought by your [AIADMK] government?,” he asked.
Mr. Stalin listed more schemes and initiatives of his government, such as the Illam Thedi Kalvi, Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam, free electricity connections for two lakh farmers, enabling persons of any castes to be trained as archagars, increase of maternity leave from nine to 12 months, consecration of over 1,000 temples in less than 1,000 days since coming to power and the hike in financial assistance from ₹1,000 to ₹1,200 for college-going women who studied in government schools.
“The raw lies by Mr. Palaniswami on the schemes initiated and implemented by the DMK government show that he is unable to stomach our success,” he said.
The Chief Minister further said that during the AIADMK regime, incidents such as the Pollachi sexual abuse, I-T searches at the house of the then Health Minister and the death of 13 persons in police firing in Thoothukudi had taken place. “They [the protesters] were shot like sparrows during the Thoothukudi firing incident. But, when he [Mr. Palaniswami] was asked about it, he said he came to know about the incident only through television.”
Reacting to Mr. Palaniswami’s charge that the DMK is a family party, Mr. Stalin said the DMK was a party for all families in the State, and it takes care of their needs by implementing welfare schemes. In that way, the DMK is a family party, he added.
As many as 12,433 booth level agents from eight districts including Vellore, Ranipet, Tirupattur, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Villupuram, Kallakuruchi participated in the workshop. Similar workshops for the agents were earlier held at Tiruchi, Ramanathapuram and Kangeyam, covering the delta region, south and western Tamil Nadu. The fifth and final workshop will be held in Chennai.
Ministers Duraimurugan, K. Ponmudy, K.N. Nehru, E.V. Velu and R. Gandhi; and Deputy Speaker of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly K. Pitchandi, among others, were present. Earlier in the day, Mr. Stalin inaugurated a 600-bedded multi-speciality hospital at Arunai Medical College and Hospital near the temple town. He also attended the wedding reception of the daughter of V. Nirmala, chairperson of Tiruvannamalai municipality.
