AIADMK general secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami alleged on Saturday that Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Aadhav Arjuna tried to join the AIADMK before the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.
Mr. Palaniswami, who participated at a public meeting in Salem to mark former Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai’s birth anniversary, replied to Mr. Arjuna’s claims that the TVK would win in Edappadi constituency if it contested on its symbol. Mr. Palaniswami said: “I won with the highest victory margin in Tamil Nadu, and the AIADMK won seven out of 11 seats in Salem district. The PWD Minister was in the DMK and later in the VCK. After that, he approached me to join the AIADMK and sought the deputy general secretary post. But we turned down the request, as only people working for the party would get the post.” After that, Mr. Arjuna joined the TVK and took “the party on lease”, he alleged.
Following the Karur tragedy in which 41 people died, the TVK party office was closed for 15 days and Mr. Arjuna escaped to another State, he charged.
Elaborating on the achievements of the AIADMK government in the past, Mr. Palaniswami said the TVK had come to power accidentally, and it merely changed the names of schemes implemented by the AIADMK. The price of rice has increased by ₹15 to ₹20 per kg during the four months of the TVK-led government, and it has not taken any steps to reduce the price of essential commodities. “The DMK regime had already increased Tamil Nadu’s debts to ₹10 lakh crore, but the TVK-led government wants a new Secretariat. What is the need to build a new Secretariat at ₹1,200 crore when the government is struggling with huge debts? And the site chosen for the project is an area where fishermen live,” he said.
Alleging that ₹4.50 crore was spent on installing barricades during Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s visit to the Mettur dam, Mr. Palaniswami said Mettur Dam was constructed at a cost of ₹4.50 crore. But the same amount was spent for opening the dam to release water.
White Paper on investments
Regarding Mr. Vijay’s recent visit to London, Mr. Palaniswami said companies already functioning in Tamil Nadu and in India signed MoUs in London. The TVK-led government should release a White Paper on how much investment it has attracted.
“In Tamil Nadu, 14,000 people are suffering from dengue, but the government has not taken any steps to control the disease. Power cuts are occurring at various places, and now, the TVK-led government has decided to buy electricity for ₹30 per unit, allegedly with ₹4 as commission. Earlier, it was bought for ₹18 per unit. In four months of this government, 250 murders have been reported, and the law and order situation in Tamil Nadu is bad,” Mr. Palaniswami charged.
In the byelections in two Assembly constituencies, the AIADMK will win and teach a lesson to the ruling party, he added.
