The AIADMK wants to work for the people and amplify their sentiments in the Parliament, and does not intend to be part of the Central government, said Edappadi K. Palaniswami, the party’s general secretary, in Chennai on Sunday. Addressing a Lok Sabha election campaign in the Chennai North constituency, where the party has fielded Royapuram Mano, Mr. Palaniswami recalled that his party had under the leadership of Jayalalithaa won 37 seats without projecting or supporting a Prime Minister candidate. He also criticised the INDIA bloc for not having a Prime Minister candidate yet.
Criticising Chief Minister and DMK president M.K. Stalin, Mr. Palaniswami said that the DMK leader has developed both an “election fever” and an “election fear”, and has had been frustrated since the day the AIADMK quit its alliance with the BJP. He termed the discontinuation of the alliance an “internal party affair”.
He also claimed that there was no coordination among the constituents of the INDIA bloc since the beginning. Blaming it on the luck of Mr. Stalin, the former Chief Minister said that one after another the constituents was leaving the bloc. Referring to the inconsistencies in the bloc in other States such as Kerala, Punjab, and West Bengal, he pointed out how the spouse of a Left leader is contesting against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad. Strongly criticising the DMK government over its management of the cyclone-induced floods in Chennai a few weeks ago, Mr. Palaniswami played video clippings in which the Chief Minister and other Ministers were seen assuring preparedness a few week before the floods. Criticising the recent visit of the Chief Minister to Spain, Mr. Palaniswami referred to certain audio files (denied by Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan) involving family members of the Chief Minister, and claimed that people were wondering whether money was invested in Spain during the visit. Assuring that his party would protect minorities, Mr. Palaniswami recalled the speeches of AIADMK MPs A. Anwhar Raajhaa and S.R. Balasubramoniyan in the Parliament in the past voicing out for the minorities. Earlier in the day, while campaigning in Tiruvallur, Mr. Palaniswami claimed those who “paid up” well were being accommodated and placed well in the DMK government - in a veiled attack on jailed former minister V. Senthilbalaji. He also pointed out that eight individuals who rose to prominence in the AIADMK due to the hard work of the party workers were now Ministers in the DMK government. He recalled that land was allocated for expansion of Sterlite plant by the DMK government, and it was closed down during the AIADMK government. If Mr. Stalin referred to police firings for “political mileage”, the people would find out and reject, he said. Taking a dig at the DMK, Mr. Palaniswami recalled that the DMK was part of the Central government for over 14 years - both with BJP and Congress governments in the past, and asked: “What did you do for the people of Tamil Nadu in those 14 years?” Charging that the DMK and the Congress were rich parties in which the party workers worked without getting their dresses disturbed, the party workers of the AIADMK and it’s allies were hard workers, he said. The AIADMK functionaries have been living along with the people and knew the hardships and challenges they faced and would be able to reflect their sentiments in the Parliament, he said. The DMK wants only the “family members” of late leader M. Karunanidhi to remain in power, Mr. Palaniswami charged. The DMK, Mr. Palaniswami alleged, thought it would be able to “loot easily” if it was in power - both in the Centre and the State. “But the AIADMK is not like that. It works for the people,” he said. He said the AIADMK left the alliance with the BJP only because it would not be able to oppose, if still in alliance, projects against the interests of the people of Tamil Nadu. Once the national parties won, they put on “a national outlook” and forget the States that elect them to power, he pointed out. Earlier, he paid floral tributes to the portraits of late AIADMK leaders M.G. Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa, and late DMDK founder Vijayakant, before addressing a public meeting in Tiruvallur. Mr. Palaniswami said the DMDK candidate had the blessings of Vijayakant and DMDK general secretary Premallatha Vijayakant.
