AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Sunday said that rival political parties and a section of the media were spreading misinformation about the AIADMK on its alliance for the Lok Sabha election, and reiterated that his party does not have any truck with the BJP.
Addressing a meeting, where “10,000 people from various parties joined the AIADMK”, in Krishnagiri district, he said that some people claimed that the AIADMK had “indirect ties” with the BJP despite the party dismissing such claims several times.
He further said that in September 2023, the AIADMK had officially exited the National Democratic Alliance. “Today, again, we are announcing that the AIADMK is not in an alliance with the BJP, and the media should not ask questions in this regard again. The AIADMK will form an alliance at the right time for the Lok Sabha poll. The seat-sharing talks in the DMK alliance have also not been finalised, and in ten days, we will know how many will be in it. The DMK believes in alliances, but the AIADMK believes in people. In television debates, misinformation is being spread, and the people participating in debates only criticise the AIADMK,” he added.
The media was boycotting the AIADMK, he said, adding that he does not know why the media feared the DMK.
‘DMK welcoming PM’
He further said that when the DMK was in the Opposition, it had said, “Go back Modi”, but now, it welcomed him.
On BJP national president J.P. Nadda’s visit to Chennai on Sunday, he said that the AIADMK cannot comment on that. On actor Vijay’s political plunge, he said that in a democracy, anybody could enter politics. Earlier, Mr. Palaniswami had said that Krishnagiri was created as a separate district during the AIADMK regime when Jayalalithaa was the Chief Minister.
According to him, during the erstwhile AIADMK regime, prices of essential commodities were kept under control. But the present DMK government was imposing various taxes and increasing the burden on the people.
He further said that the court was investigating cases against certain DMK Ministers, and before the upcoming election, the Ministers who are “sitting in the front row of the Tamil Nadu Assembly will be jailed”.
Indirectly referring to Minister Senthilbalaji, Mr. Palaniswami said that a person who switched to DMK from the AIADMK and became a Minister was now in jail. “Any person who betrayed the AIADMK will be in jail. AIADMK leaders M.G. Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa protected the party like gods,” he said. Later in the day, speaking to journalists in Vellore, Mr. Palaniswami said that the law and order situation had completely deteriorated in the State as the DMK government had failed to take any concrete action against the sale of ganja.
He said that incidents of robbery, murder, assault, and crimes against women and the elderly have been a regular occurrence in the State. This was happening because of the availability of ganja. “We have repeatedly raised the issue in the Assembly, urging the State government to take stringent action. However, the DMK government remained a mute spectator to it...”
He also slammed the State government for inaugurating the Kilambakkam bus terminus without ensuring proper connectivity. The AIADMK government had planned a well-rounded bus stand with connectivity to suburban trains, metro rail, town buses, share-autos, taxis, hotels, ATMs and toilets, and other essential facilities to decongest traffic chaos around the existing Koyambedu terminus, he claimed.The DMK government hurriedly inaugurated the terminus during Pongal, he added.
