The DMK on Friday moved the Election Commission of India (ECI) seeking a direction to restrain the AIADMK from using government funds for publishing advertisements in the media to promote its co-coordinator and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Edappadi K. Palaniswami.
In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, DMK organisation secretary R.S. Bharathi accused the ruling AIADMK of putting out advertisements in visual and print media and spending ₹1,000 crore at the cost of the State exchequer, thus going against the Constitutional mandate of the State.
Terming the advertisements “megalomania at the cost of tax payers’ money”, Mr. Bharathi said they not only give an undue advantage to the party in power but also deny a level-playing field to all registered political parties.
“Further, a message is given to the public that the government is supporting the candidature of Mr. Edappadi K. Palaniswami as Chief Minister,” he said in the complaint.
Mr. Bharathi said due to this, the fairness of the election would be affected and that the actions of the ruling AIADMK in promoting their leader at the cost of State resources runs against the orders of the Delhi High Court and the Election Commission of India.
Pointing out that the State was already under heavy debt, he said such advertisements were “unreasonable, illogical, whimsical, fanciful, illegal and highly arbitrary” and demanded that the AIADMK be restrained from utilising government funds for advertisements. He also said a thorough inquiry for violation of the directions of the ECI must be conducted.
