Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisamy on Friday claimed that former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was the one who had raised him to the position of power to which he now belongs and no one else.
He was speaking at the inauguration of the 121st flower show at the Government Botanical Garden in Udhagamandalam.
Mr. Palanisamy was responding to a report published in a Tamil daily, which had reported that Mr. Paneerselvam had said that he himself had been responsible for Mr. Palanisamy's growth.
The Chief Minister said that Jayalalithaa was the one who had helped promote him within the party after he joined the AIADMK in 1974. Mr. Palanisamy outlined all the positions he had held in the party, and said that it was “Puratchi Thalaivi” Jayalalithaa who had given him the opportunity to contest as a candidate in the elections. “I am extremely delighted in inaugurating the flower show that was last inagurated by her in 1995, on the occasion of the 100th Flower Show,” said Mr. Palanisamy.
The Chief Minister said she had undertaken a slew of developmental works towards building better infrastructure for locals and tourists amounting to more than ₹100 crores.
Speaking to reporters after the event, Mr. Palanisamy said the government will consider implementing helicopter ambulance service from Udhagamandalam for patients in need of emergency care. He said that ₹8 crores had been sanctioned for the maintenance of the Government Botanical Garden. He also said that the assembly would soon be convened by the government and later distributed financial assistance to self help groups.
