AIADMK co-coordinator and Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Friday claimed that the Assembly election in Tamil Nadu would be held along with the Lok Sabha polls in 2024 under the ‘One Nation, One Election’ idea [mooted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi].
“The DMK regime has got only 27 new moons [amavasyas] to go,” he claimed, while campaigning for AIADMK candidates in Karur. The AIADMK, which had ruled the State for 30 years, was the only party which worked for the people, and the State will see “Amma’s [Jayalalithaa’s] rule” again, he said.
Accusing the DMK of failing to honour its poll promises, Mr. Palaniswami said Chief Minister M.K. Stalin was focusing on publicity and indulging in doublespeak.
Before the Assembly election, the DMK had brought out a booklet with 525 promises, but had never bothered to implement them. Only a few promises had been fulfilled, the Opposition leader said. “DMK youth wing secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin says the ruling party has four more years to implement its promise of providing ₹1,000 per month to homemakers. But they will never implement it. Just look at their ingenuity – they promised one thing before the election and are saying something else now,” he added.
“The DMK is not here to serve the people, but to loot the State. That is why people from here [Karur] have been given plum portfolios. He will provide a plan to indulge in corruption. But a sword is hanging over his head,” Mr. Palaniswami said, in a thinly-veiled reference to Electricity Minister V. Senthilbalaji.
The government tried to stall the urban local bodies elections, but had no option but to face them in the wake of the Supreme Court’s directive. Instead of facing the elections in a democratic manner, the Minister is attempting to browbeat the AIADMK cadre by foisting cases on them, he claimed, without naming Mr. Senthilbalaji.
“The Minister who hails from here has jumped from one party to the other. The DMK Ministry has eight persons who had crossed over from the AIADMK. Aren’t those in the DMK qualified to become Ministers,” he asked.
Campaigning for AIADMK candidates at Kanankuruchi in Salem, Mr. Palaniswami claimed that the Chief Minister was lying about 70% of his poll promises having been fulfilled. Mr. Palaniswami said the government had neither paid a cash incentive to women nor waived education loans.
NEET debate
Earlier, responding to the Chief Minister’s challenge, Mr. Palaniswami said the AIADMK was ready for a debate on which party was behind the introduction of NEET in Tamil Nadu.
Refuting the Chief Minister’s claim that NEET was first conducted when the AIADMK was in power, Mr. Palaniswami said the notification was issued on December 21, 2010 by the Medical Council of India, when the Congress-led coalition, including the DMK, was in power at the Centre.
