Chennai, Mar 25 (PTI) AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday claimed that Tamil Nadu was being governed by “four power centres” in the current DMK regime and appealed to the people to dislodge the DMK from power.
Targeting Chief Minister M K Stalin during his maiden poll campaign in Mylapore in the city after finalising the seat-sharing pact with AIADMK-led NDA constituents, announcing their constituencies, and releasing AIADMK’s first list of 23 candidates today, Palaniswami said Stalin had done precious little to ensure major schemes for the state and even Chennai, which frequently encountered inundation woes.
“There are four power centres in the Chief Minister M K Stalin’s family, including him and his deputy chief minister son Udhayanidhi, that are dominating Tamil Nadu. This April 23 election will end the family power centres. Will you end their rule?” the former chief minister asked the crowd that had gathered for the campaign. And the crowd responded with a loud “yes.” He claimed that the DMK government had not launched any major scheme during the five-year rule but indulged in “corruption, collection, and commission” – a phrase that was employed by Stalin in the run-up to the 2021 Assembly election, accusing the AIADMK then.
Taking a dig at the DMK-led alliance on seat-sharing negotiations, Palaniswami said parties such as the CPI, CPI(M) and VCK had to struggle to obtain seats from the DMK, which liberally allotted the constituencies to unrecognised parties.
“The DMK’s allies are made to fight and obtain the seats. The allies are subservient to the DMK. They have been DMK’s slaves for the last ten years, and that’s why they got a lesser number of seats than they obtained in the 2021 election,” the AIADMK chief claimed.
But such a situation never prevailed in the AIADMK-led NDA combine, which respected the alliance leaders who are functioning independently, he added.
“When in power, the DMK would use the support of its allies, and during elections, it does not give the due merit that its allies deserve,” Palaniswami claimed. At least now, the DMK’s allies should understand that they may be “ditched.” “The AIADMK respects its alliance leaders… the five-year rule of the DMK is a family rule. The DMK is for one family, but the AIADMK is for the people,” Palaniswami said.
He said that the previous AIADMK regime brought the stormwater drainage project for Chennai, but the chief minister claimed that 98 per cent of the work was completed, which was not true.
In a lighter vein, he remarked that during heavy inundation in Chennai, a year ago, a woman marooned by water said, “Stalin came (to power) and made us swim.” BJP leader and former Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan joined Palaniswami in the campaign in Mylapore, which has been allotted to the saffron party.
Palaniswami appealed to the people to vote for the BJP in this constituency and for the NDA allies in the state in all other constituencies.
Earlier, Palaniswami commenced the campaign by offering prayers at the ancient Kapaleshwar temple. PTI JSP JSP ADB
Category: Breaking News
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