AIADMK leader and Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Tuesday dubbed the DMK as a party notorious for “unruly” behaviour.
Recalling the ruckus created by sections of DMK legislators in the Assembly during the floor test conducted in 2017, Mr. Palaniswami alleged that the DMK MLAs “danced” on the tables and sat on the Speaker’s chair “after pushing him aside” and plunging the House into pandemonium.
“If such an atrocity was committed by the DMK members inside the revered house, what would happen if they were given the power to rule the State? Will the State grow and go on the right path?” Mr. Palaniswami wondered.
Campaigning at Viralimalai, Illupur, Annavasal, Pudukottai and Tirumayam seeking support for AIADMK candidates, he recalled the attacks allegedly committed by DMK functionaries at business establishments and traders in Chennai, Perambalur and Tirumayam. “What will happen if such a party regains power?” he asked and appealed to the electorate to defeat the DMK in the upcoming elections.
The Opposition leader was trying to fool the electorate by accepting petitions from the general public during his campaign and promising to solve their grievances upon coming to power in a matter of 100 days. The DMK had ruled the State for several years and Mr. Stalin had not accepted petitions when he was the Local Administration Minister or the Deputy Chief Minister to solve people’s problems, he claimed. The DMK was least bothered about the public when in power but was now accepting petitions when they were in the Opposition which was farcical, he charged.
The Chief Minister claimed that the DMK would never emerge victorious and that the boxes containing the petitions given by the people during Mr. Stalin's campaign would never be opened.
Ministers of his government, on his instructions, had received over 9 lakh petitions from people and solutions were found for more than 5 lakh petitions, Mr. Palaniswamisaid. Mr .Stalin was not aware of facts and was bent on spreading canards accusing the AIADMK regime of not having done anything over the past four years, the CM said.
Highlighting the slew of welfare schemes executed by the AIADMK regime, he said the Cauvery-Gundar river link project would turn Pudukottai district into a fertile region in the coming years. The AIADMK government was the one that had protected the farming community. The waiver of crop loans disbursed by cooperative societies was not aimed at securing votes but to alleviate the sufferings of the farmers, Mr. Palaniswami claimed. The AIADMK government had also waived the loans taken by self-help group members from cooperative institutions, heeding their representations.
The government would increase the number of days under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme from 100 days to 150 days. Internet connectivity would be provided to over 17,000 revenue villages through BharatNet, he said and added that there would be no tariff for the Arasu cable TV connection in future.
