Former Chief Minister and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami said Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder S. Ramadoss was in the habit of switching alliances for every election. He described Dr. Ramadoss as a Vedanthangal bird that comes in search of water and leaves after the water dries up.
On Saturday, Mr. Palaniswami formally introduced AIADMK Salem parliamentary constituency candidate P. Vignesh before party functionaries at the AIADMK party office near Omalur.
Speaking to reporters, the AIADMK leader said that Dr. Ramadoss was used to switching alliances for every election. “In an interview, Mr. Ramadoss had given zero marks for the BJP government and now has forged an alliance with them. In the 2019 parliamentary elections and the 2021 assembly elections, the PMK was in the AIADMK alliance, and we were unable to win those elections. As far as the AIADMK is concerned, it is not dependent on alliances. AIADMK welcomes parties into the alliance, and if they do not come, the AIADMK has no problem contesting alone. My party has lasted over 50 years and it has provided several welfare schemes to the people over the 30 years of rule,” Mr. Palaniswami said.
Regarding the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Mr. Palaniswami said that the party would not be able to comment without knowing the facts of that case. After the DMK came to power, using DVAC, cases were registered against former AIADMK ministers, and similarly, while the AIADMK was in power, the Income Tax Department also conducted raids. Based on the case registered by the DMK government, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has now conducted raids at former Minister C. Vijayabaskar’s house and the DMK is the reason for this raid, he said.
Replying to a question on announcing new faces for the elections, Mr. Palaniswami said, “While I contested for the first time in elections at the age of 33, I was also a new face. It is by introducing new faces that the party will grow, and people are also expecting this. Based on that, we have elected the candidates and announced their names. Eligible candidates have got the chance to contest the elections”.
Regarding BJP State president K. Annamalai’s claim that he would not spend one rupee in the elections, Mr. Palaniswami said the statement was made just to create ripples. He added that the media should follow him. It was not possible to do anything without spending money, and electioneering can certainly not be done without spending money, even for campaigns, the AIADMK leader said.
In the past three years, many acts of corruption have allegedly taken place in Tamil Nadu. To save Tamil Nadu, AIADMK should win in this election, Mr. Palaniswami added.
Charging that Salem DMK candidate T.M. Selvaganapathy was a betrayer, Mr. Palaniswami said AIADMK had made him an MLA, MP, and Minister. But betraying the party, he joined the DMK and is now contesting elections, and Salem people would teach him a lesson. On Sunday, in Tiruchi, the AIADMK and its alliance partners would start the election campaign, he added.
